A Lesson In Black
by NotesFromTheChamber
Summary: To become fearless is not to overcome fear, but instead to learn its nature. Or in this case, her nature. Bellamione
1. Raef Revo Evol

**A/N- Set just prior to Dumbledore's death, but will not be very canon at all. Mainly serving as writer's block cure for my other fic's.**

"And be careful with the leather one, it's a first edition- Oh, listen to me. As if you're likely to damage a book." Professor McGonagall smiled kindly as Hermione staggered past her with a huge tower of books.

"Ordinarily I would just levitate them myself, but some of the charms on those books are very old and a little unstable- the less unnecessary magic they come into contact with the better."

"Of course, Professor, I understand. I'll take them upstairs right away." Hermione grappled with the bottom book for a better grip as her fingers slipped over the leather, worn smooth with age.

"Thank you, Miss Granger."

Hermione struggled to peer over the top of the pile as she navigated the sandy coloured corridors to the rooms the professor had indicated. She heard Mrs Norris yowl at her irritably as she passed one of the cat's favourite hiding spots and resisted the urge to kick her. No other animal had ever managed to irk her to the brink of violence as that mangey cat had in their years of knowing one another.

With the toe of her shoe, Hermione nudged open the door to her left and held it open with her knee, hopping sideways until it was at her back, and then closed behind her. Setting the pile down on a desk, she took the top three books from the pile and left them by the window with a few others as instructed, and then heaved the rest of them back up and set towards the next room on her list, which happened to be Snape's office.

She groaned internally, and hoped he wouldn't be there when she called.

Naturally, he was.

"Miss Granger." He said stiffly, regarding the teetering tower of books.

"The top on is for you, professor. From Professor McGonagall." Hermione was glad now that she had taken the time to order the books so that the next ones to be taken would always be at the top- this way Snape could just take his book and she could go as quickly as possible.

The top book was plucked from the pile and Hermione felt the weight in her arms ease off significantly, letting her stand a little more naturally. The book for Snape was by far the largest.

"Thank you, Miss Granger." Something in Snape's voice seemed a little off, and Hermione placed it as mild bewilderment.

"Uh… Yeah." Hermione said, dumbly, turning to leave to quash her embarrassment at her lack of social skills for awkward situations.

"Miss Granger." Snape's voice was stronger now.

 _Oh, just let me leave._ Hermione winced, half turning to look at him.

"Keep your wand in your sleeve."

Hermione pulled a face. "What's that supposed to-"

Snape's door slammed behind him.

Hermione stared at the door for a long time before carrying on her way. Had that been a threat?

The Gryffindor pressed the inside of her arm against the spines of the books she held and felt reassured as the wood of her wand pressed back.

She decided Snape was just messing with her, kicking another door open to make her final delivery.

As she entered the room, another door caught her attention. It was a small, dark medieval looking door with big iron straps across it, which she couldn't remember it being there last time she had come here. Setting the books down, Hermione looked behind her quickly and then moved to the other side of the room. She pushed on the wood of the door- seeing as the handle kept moving when she tried to grab it- locked. The door handle settled back down right at the bottom of the door by her foot.

"Stupid idea." Hermione muttered. She was, however, intrigued. What could be behind a door with a handle which evaded being caught?

It took fifteen minutes before Hermione found the right spell, and another ten before she managed to use it with enough conviction that it actually worked. The woeful door opened, and the young witch found herself looking at a sheet, which appeared to be covering something large and flat.

Hermione gripped the sheet and pulled it down from its draped position with a swish.

Behind it was a mirror, and Hermione's heart skipped a beat.

"Erised..." Hermione gazed at the mirror, and whilst having never done so before, recognised it immediately.

 _This is the mirror Harry saw in our first year_. The young witch thought. She thought Dumbledore had taken the mirror somewhere safe, how the mirror had made its was back to the castle she couldn't imagine. Curious, Hermione stepped fully in front of the mirror. She took a deep breath, cleared her mind, and looked up to her own face.

Her blood froze.

For a split second she had to remind herself that it was just an illusion, as she whipped around and jumped away from the space to her left, sure there was a mistake. When she looked back, however, the reflection was exactly the same.

Dark and beautiful, another witch stood motionlessly beside her.

"But-" Hermione spluttered to herself. How could this be anything _like_ what she wanted most? _Bellatrix_? Hermione's blood boiled at the thought. But sure as day, Bellatrix stood casually next to her, wand in one hand, the other playing with a stray curl. She wore a smile that would make most men, and probably a great deal of women weak. It made Hermione several things.

After a few more seconds of horrified staring, the Gryffindor turned sharply on heel and left the room. She slammed the door behind her, pressed her back to it, took a deep breath, and then flung it open again, marching back to the mirror, sure that _this time_ she would see herself as a successful ambassador for elven rights, or becoming a famous writer.

Bellatrix cast a glance at her the second time, and then went back to her thoughtful stare.

"No, this can't be right, this must be a different mirror." Hermione muttered. Suddenly, she knew what she would do. She would ask harry to describe the mirror he had seen, and then surely it would be confirmed that the mirror of Erised looked _entirely_ different.

Yes. She'd do it right now.

Leaving the mirror behind, Hermione hurried through the corridors towards the Gryffindor common room, praying Harry and Ron were still playing chess where she left them.

"Haha! Checkmate, _mate_." Ron leaned back in his chair in satisfaction as the last of Harry's pieces became entrapped by the Queen.

"Argh, I was _so_ sure- oh, hey Hermione." Harry smiled at her as she dragged a third chair over to them, its legs groaning against the floor.

"Hi, boys." She mumbled distractedly.

"What's up? I thought you were errand running for McGonnagal."

"Um, yeah, all sorted now- listen, Harry?" The witch shifted in her chair.

"Yeah?"

"You remember that mirror from our first year? The one that showed you the thing you wanted most in the world?"

Harry frowned. "The mirror of Erised? Sure, why?"

"What, uh..." Hermione tried to come off casual but sounded a little queasy. "What did it look like?"

"What did it- oh. Um. Well, it had two steeple-like points on the top with a sort of triangle arch between them and lots of foreign writing in a half circle over the mirror bit. It was rectangular, pretty damned big, medieval looking- why?"

Hermione now felt as queasy as she looked.

"Just wondering." The young witch answered lamely.

Ron gave Harry a look and Harry pulled an awkward sort of face that was probably intended to move the conversation along.

In a world of her own, Hermione stared at the chess pieces as the boys played another game, before standing abruptly.

"I have to do something. I'll be back later."

"Want the cloak?" harry offered casually, probably assuming she was going to the library.

"Why would I- Oh." The clock showed plainly that it was after their curfew. She sank back down into her chair.

"You know what, it can wait."

You sure you're alright?" Ron asked, over a mouthful of chocolate frog.

"I'm fine. I think I'm going to go to bed though, night guys."

"Night." Came the unsure chorus.

The next day was Sunday, and it brought with it some small determination. As she had lain in bed the evening before, Hermione had pieced together a sort of plan. She was going to ask Snape to use the boggart. She couldn't say why, but after the encounter in the department of mysteries, Bellatrix had stalked her nightmares so intensely she couldn't imagine the boggart assuming the form of anything or anyone else. Perhaps it was that moment Bellatrix had looked right at her and Hermione had felt her very soul cripple. Or, perhaps, it was just common sense to fear such an evil woman. Either way, she was convinced that if her boggart showed her Bellatrix, then the mirror would have to concede and show her something else- after all, they couldn't possibly show her the same thing.

Snape opened the door to his office slowly, staring down at her expectantly.

"Yes."

"Professor, I was wondering if I could use the boggart. Alone." She added, panicking slightly at the thought of Snape accompanying her.

"Of course." Snape said, disinterestedly.

"I- Really?" Hermione had been expecting a fight.

"Miss Granger, if you wish to put yourself off your food this evening, that is entirely _your_ choice."

"Oh." Silence. "Okay."

"It's in the third storage room on the second floor. Knock yourself out." He finished, sounding every syllable out slowly, his face not moving and his tone dropping.

"I'll try sir." Hermione muttered, turning away from the man.

"You might try harder, Miss Granger."

When Hermione turned back, again, Snape held the keys out to her at arms length. "Wouldn't want to see you in trouble for breaking in somewhere _out of bounds_."

Hermione swallowed. He couldn't know about the mirror, could he?

"No sir." She replied, trying not to seem guilty.

In the storage room-which was bigger than most classrooms and full to bursting with all kinds of lesson props, cauldrons, and even a snapped in half broom- Hermione had little trouble finding the cabinet. It shook when she unlatched it's doors, creaking wearily on it's stubby legs, and then, slowly, the door opened.

In an instance, all the breath left Hermione in a mixture of fear and confusion.

Seeing Bellatrix in the mirror was one thing, but she was much more real now.

Hermione backed up slowly, a foot behind her for every one Bellatrix put in front.

She wore the same smile which made her look much more predatory now- and Hermione felt a lot like prey. Trembling, Hermione raised her wand.

"Riddikulus." She cried, following through with the wand movement. Nothing. Bellatrix came to a stop in front of her, right as Hermione realised her mistake.

 _If Bellatrix is what I want most, I'll never be able to have enough conviction to perform the counter spell to the boggart._

Hermione looked left and right for a way out and her heart sank as she realised the boggart blocked the door. She knew it wouldn't be as strong as the real Bellatrix, but Boggarts could still imitate magic and if it attacked, she could very well be done for.

The fake Bellatrix started moving again, and Hermione's mind began to scramble for a way out.

She could fight it- but what would it do if it was provoked? Would she find herself face to face with a pissed off death eater, which even at half of the real thing's power would still probably be more than a match for her? Would it not fight at all? Would it know, after engaging with her, that her worst fear had changed to being _killed_ by Bellatrix and act on it?

 _Shit._ Hermione was pressed so hard against the wall when Bellatrix stopped walking for the second time she was sure just the slightest push might cause her to be absorbed into it.

The dark witch was so close to her that she stopped breathing. Hermione could see the flecks of gold in Bellatrix's iris', and feel the warmth that radiated from her.

Hermione took one last desperate glance to one side, convinced that a knife was about to be lodged into her abdomen, or a dagger run across her throat and squeaked as Bellatrix grabbed her face with one hand and brought it back around.

Before her eyes had refocused, the boggart kissed her. Hermione froze and her lips quivered slightly at the foreignness. Warmth battled with the softness for the most prevalent feeling.

 _Bellatrix is kissing me._

 _No,_ Her mind argued back, _a boggart is kissing you._

Hermione snapped out if it at that thought, pushing Bellatrix away from her and re-aiming her wand, her hand barely able to grip onto the handle.

She opened her mouth to cast the spell and-

"Riddikulus." -it was cast for her.

Professor Snape prowled into the room and pushed the boggart back into the cabinet before Hermione had been able to see what his spell had turned her into.

"I- Professor Snape." Hermione's voice wavered.

The Professor turned to her slowly and looked at her as though he could see her every secret laid out on a table before him.

"Run along, Miss Granger." He drawled. "I'm sure you've seen what you came for."

Hermione left the room so fast she didn't even answer the man.

 _Oh, god. Oh god, oh god, oh god._ The Gryffindor's head was spinning. Had he seen? Had her DADA Professor seen her _kissing_ the image of her worst fear?

 _Oh god, oh god._

"Hey, Hermione."

 _Oh GOD._

"Do you want to-"

"Not right now, Luna." Hermione managed, not stopping to look at the blonde.

"Okay." The small reply came from behind her.

Hermione finally collapsed on the grassy bank outside, overlooking Hagrid's hut in the morning sun. She slowly caught her breath as she lay back on her elbows, staring up at the sky.

 _Oh god, Hermione._


	2. Testing

Bellatrix no longer stood idle in the mirror of Erised, and nor did her own reflection. Hermione sank to her knees in front of the mirror as she watched the hungry way Bellatrix ripped her blouse off and how her own traitor hands tangled in black curls as they kissed.

Her dreams had, at least, prepared her for the sight. The Gryffindor had woken early and with a start, feeling morally dirty among other things. The heat between her legs had subsided only after a very cold shower, and took nearly half the day to forget about once it had. Snape watched her intently through DADA, much to the disgruntlement of Harry and Ron, and to make it worse she was due right back in the DADA class room after her lunch break for the day's last lecture.

Right now however, she couldn't tear her eyes away from the scene in the mirror. Clothing was being discarded at an alarming rate and Hermione growled at herself as she felt her body begin to betray her.

This was wrong. Just because the death eater was beautiful didn't mean her crimes could be overlooked.

Hermione very slowly turned her back. The thought of what was happening behind her battered her self control.

Hermione steeled herself. Just leave. _This mirror does no one any good_. Dutifully she left, hugging herself as she walked down the corridors in a trance.

Miss Granger. She stopped.

"Yes professor."

Snape stepped out of the staff room door and approached her. "You will come with me to set the next class up."

 _So much for a break._ Hermione thought. She hadn't even eaten. _And who's fault is that?_

She followed Snape in subdued silence back to the Defence Against The Dark Arts class room where he handed her text books to place on each desk. Hermione couldn't help but think he could easily have done this himself. Once she was finished, she stood awkwardly, awaiting instruction.

"Take a seat, Miss Granger, you're here to stay."

 _Damnit_.

Hermione took a seat reproachfully and mourned the loss of the end of her break. Minutes later, the doors opened and students flooded in.

"Hey Hermione." Harry said, surprised to see her already seated.

"No, Mr Potter."

Harry looked up to Snape as he started to sit down. Snape was pointing disinterestedly and another desk across the room. Harry muttered something, but moved accordingly.

Feeling slightly attacked, Hermione scowled at the teacher until Ron joined, late as ever, sitting down by Harry as the desk was closest to the door.

The class began, and Hermione found herself ambling through an essay in silence, her mind drifting between the subject matter and the feeling for Bellatrix's teeth against her neck.

The professor had been mid speech about the finer points of deflective barriers, when suddenly, he stopped.

"This class is dismissed." Snape drawled abruptly.

The rest of the students murmured amongst themselves, turning to each other in confusion.

"You may all take your leave- not you, Miss Granger."

Hermione winced visibly as she put her things back down on the desk, settling back into the chair she had been half way out of. No one else seemed to pay the addition any mind, apart from Harry, who gave Snape an evil look and muttered something to Ron, who had missed what Snape had said in his enthusiasm to leave the worst lesson on the curriculum.

Everyone left in a hurry, and Hermione cursed the day she was born.

The classroom lapsed back into silence as the door closed behind the last student. "Tell me, Miss Granger. What does a young girl, on a Sunday morning, want with a boggart?"

Hermione went scarlet. "I- I just-"

"No matter, what's done is done. Instead, tell me this- when was the last time you saw Bellatrix Lestrange?"

 _About half an hour ago._ An unhelpful voice sniped darkly in the back of her mind. _More of her than you'd imagine-_

"The department of mysteries, Sir." She said, half truthfully.

"Really." The reply was rhetorical, if a question at all. A musing, perhaps.

"And so, it having been so long, why did I find myself tasked with pushing her likeness into a wardrobe yesterday?"

Hermione fought the urge to smirk.

"It was too strong. I couldn't push it away, professor."

Snape made a noise of contempt. "From what I saw, Miss Granger... you didn't seem to be trying."

Hermione blushed again, all the harder this time. _He saw. Of course he did, the evil-_

Snape tossed something towards her and Hermione caught it, looking at her hands in confusion.

"I would keep that on your person, Miss Granger."

"What is it?" A dark, palm sized coin with script running across it gleamed up at her.

"You are dismissed."

"But-"

Snape was obviously done talking.

Before she left Hermione hesitated, something nudging her in the back of her mind.

"Sir, why did you dismiss the class? Why not wait until the end?"

"For your own good, Miss Granger. Thank you."

Hermione sighed. Snape was obviously not going to relent.

Back in the common room, Hermione evaded Ron and Harry on the premiss of a headache and curled up in bed for the hours before dinner. After fifteen minutes however, her mind wandered away from the coin in her hand and back to Bellatrix, straying further and further away from the appropriate by the second. She sat up. She refused to just lie here and get worked up over this yet again, she needed someone to talk to.

Sighing, she knew only one person who would keep her secrets beyond a doubt.

-X-

Hagrid's hut was cosy and out of sight, and the giant was thrilled to see her.

She had spent a lot of time with Hagrid when she had fallen out with Harry and Ron all those years ago, and she always felt better after sitting on one of his oversized chairs and eating a rock cake with her friend.

"Hello, Hermione! Shouldn't you still be in your lessons?"

"Hey Hagrid," Hermione greeted quietly, shuffling past him into the hut. "Snape dismissed us. And I need to talk to you."

She slumped into a seat, wondering how much to reveal about her situation.

"Oh. Well, you go on ahead, I'm not goin' anywhere." He sat down at the table opposite.

"I-" The young witch sighed deeply. "I was running errands for Professor McGonagall on saturday evening and I found something."

"Alright." Hagrid said uncertainly.

"It was a mirror. It's called the Mirror of Erised."

The Gamekeeper nodded. "I'm familiar with it. Didn't know it was back in the castle, though."

"Then you know what it does?"

A nod was the answer.

Hermione grimaced. "You promise not to tell anyone what I say?"

"I promise."

Hermione watched the floor intently, anythingt to avoid eye contact. "It was Bellatrix. Standing next to me. I left and went to bed and the next day I asked Snape if I could use the Boggart. I thought... well, I thought if I could get the Boggart to take Bellatrix's form, it might force the mirror to change its mind."

Hagrid shuffled on his seat. "And? What happened?"

"Bellatrix materialised. I couldn't cast the spell to drive the Boggart back. I suppose the mirror must have been right and I couldn't perform the spell with enough conviction. She- _it_ kissed me. I pushed it away and then Snape came in and... well. Dealt with it. I left the room pretty quickly but then last night..." Hermione blushed hard as she realised what she was about to confess.

"Say no more, I know that face." Hagrid chuckled.

 _Well at least I don't have to admit I had desperate, rough sex with the worlds most notorious female death eater in my dreams out loud. Would probably make these meetings more awkward._

"I went back today to check the mirror again and she was still there. A lot more... overtly. And then there's Snape."

"Snape?" Hagrid's brow creased.

"He knows. He knows I've seen the mirror, and I'm fairly sure he knows what I've seen in it. He _definitely_ knows what happened with the Boggart. He told me to 'keep my wand in my sleeve' and then today he gave me this, said to keep it on me but refused to say why."

Hermione handed the giant the coin and his faced changed instantly. For a long moment he stared, before saying very quietly. "Oh."

"Do you know what it is?"

"I do-"

"Hagrid?" Three loud wraps on the door caught the giant off guard.

The Game Keeper gave Hermione an apologetic look and rose to answer the door, both of them knowing who it was.

"I'd like to borrow my student, if I may."

"Professor McGonagall." Hagrid seemed to be stumbling for words.

"No." He sad suddenly.

"Excuse me?" The Scottish professor looked ruffled by the defiance.

"No, she's here and she's stayin', you can't just be takin' her away, I wont let you, I wont-"

"Hagrid, calm yourself!" The professor was glaring at him sternly.

Hermione had stood and was watching the scene in confusion. "Hagrid, it's alright- I can come back later-"

"Not this evening, Miss Granger." McGonagall asserted. "I was intending to collect you after your lesson, but Severus informed me you had been let go early."

Hermione suddenly felt like she was in trouble. _Oh god, please don't say Snape told her what happened._

"He said that was for my own good, Professor." She argued, hoping to get some reassurance that whatever had transpired wasn't being blamed on her.

"Oh, did he now? Professor Snape might remember whose side he is on." The professor muttered. "Come along." Hermione didn't dare ask what that was supposed to mean.

"Tomorrow, then." Hermione said to Hagrid as she followed her summons, touching the giants arm as she passed him.

The professor said nothing else.

Hermione looked over her shoulder at Hagrid as witches made their way back to the castle, confused at his outburst and the almost enraged look he was still giving the Professors back.

Inside the castle, the Professor stopped abruptly. "Miss Granger, your wand, if you please."

"My- what?"

"Your, wand, please. I need to take it to be tested. Nothing to worry about, it will be returned in time for your trip to Hogsmede tomorrow morning."

 _Shit_. Hermione had totally forgotten about the trip to Hogsmede. "What kind of tests?" Hermione asked shakily, handing her wand over with the sense of devastating loss.

"Nothing to worry about, Miss Granger. Now, dinner is about to begin, Mr Potter and Mr Weasley are waiting for you. Off you go."

Hermione was almost rooted to the spot in reluctance to leave her wand behind. The professor left her standing there.

The evening meal was noisy as ever in the great hall, and most of it was spent with Harry and Ron giving each other 'covertly' weird looks over the top of Hermione's head as she poked at some neglected pasta.

"Hermione… Nothing happened, did it? With Snape, I mean?" Harry attempted eventually.

"No." Hermione answered monotonously.

"It's just, you've been a bit off since he held you back earlier."

"I'm fine."

Ron shrugged at Harry and continued to eat the massive piece of garlic bread he had claimed for himself.

"We were wondering if you wanted to come to the library tonight and practice charms."

 _Obviously concocted to try and lure me out. How original._ Hermione thought irritably. "Sorry, Harry, I can't. I don't have my wand until tomorrow."

"What'yuh mean?" Ron managed through yet more bread.

"McGonagall took it for 'testing'. And no, I don't know what that means, before you ask."

"Oh." Hermione could see Harry's mind turn as he tried to piece together what he knew to make a new theory about her downcast mood. "Tomorrow then. When we get back." He declared, trying to look bright enough for the two of them.

"Yeah," Hermione said distractedly. "Tomorrow."

-X-

When tomorrow came, Hermione was so desperate to get out for fresh air and a change of scenery that she was sitting at the castle doors waiting to go when most of the students were still having breakfast. Her dreams had been just as explicit as the night before, and she felt as exhausted now as if she had really been there. She could still feel the warmth of Bellatrix's forehead pressed against her own, and it brought a blush to her face every time she recalled it.

Agitated, the brunette had decided that the aim of her trip would be to find a book that would help her work this situation out, whether it be on more focused on the Boggart or the Mirror, or neither.

She was sitting in full view of the castle in the hopes Professor McGonagall would return her wand to her before she set out.

"Hey Hermione." Luna sidled up to her airily and Hermione smiled at her tiredly.

"Hi Luna. Sorry for rushing past you yesterday."

The blonde smiled. "That's okay, I just wanted to know if you wanted to take a look at this."

Hermione took a piece of paper that was being proffered to her. It was a photograph.

"Is that… is that _me_?" Hermione looked back up at Luna slowly. The photo showed Hermione pressed against the door to the room that held the mirror, catching her breath after she had seen Bellatrix the first time.

"Yes, but that's not the point, look!" Luna pointed to some grainy spots on the discoloured photograph that lingered around hermione like small gnat clouds. "Those are Dhalma Pixies. They swarm in anticipation for great distress or sudden change, which they feed off. I caught them following you a few days ago, but I couldn't get a picture until I used my special glasses to see you with. Cool, huh?" Luna asked dreamily.

"Uh, yeah. That's really cool Luna." Hermione said, feeling a little nauseous. Hermione could understand something like that being around her now, but Luna had said they were there days ago- long before Hermione had seen the mirror. If they hand't gone by now, did that mean there was even greater 'distress' in store for her?

 _What else could possibly happen?_ Hermione thought, exasperation creeping in. She shook herself. Luna was a kind girl, but there was no proof she was a feeding ground for any thing, let alone sadistic Pixies. It was probably all make believe.

"Well, I want you to have the photo. Be pretty weird if I kept it, I guess. I'll see you later!"

Hermione smiled as Luna waved and left and then stared back down at the photograph, watching herself screw her eyes closed and the grey swarms hovering around her over and over.

She shoved the photo in her pocket and waited for Harry and Ron to appear, catching Harry by the arm as they did and walking down the hill in silence, listening to the happy chatter of other students as they went. She said nothing of the conversation with Luna- it was well known that she didn't give the witch's ideas much credit, and she'd only draw attention to herself if she started now.

"Okay, I'm going to go to-"

"The book shop." Both boys finished for her, grinning, as they trudged up the main street together.

"Oh very funny." She said sarcastically, smiling anyway. "I'll catch up." She added, strafing away from them.

Ordinarily, she would have gone straight for Flourish and Blots, but today she had other ideas. There was a smaller bookshop on the fringes of the village which sold more unusual volumes, and Hermione was sure there would be books there more suited to her subject.

Halfway to her destination Hermione stopped, suddenly acutely aware of an unnatural silence. Uncomfortable, Hermione remembered watching a nature documentary when she was younger about how birds all fell quiet in the presence of a predator. She tried to pull her wand from her sleeve and in a sickening moment, realised it wasn't there.

 _McGonagall has my wand. I forgot to wait._ What was it Snape had said? _Keep your wand in your sleeve, Miss Granger._

Looking behind her, she took in the empty street and was about to keep walking when a loud crack went off right in front of her. The young witch leapt backwards as two men in black cloaks appeared, regretting not going to Flourish and Blots more and more by the second.

"Miss Granger, we are here to help you. You must come with us. There isn't much time."

Hermione took one look at the man on the lefts outstretched hand, and then bolted back the way she had come as fast as she could. She may have been a Gryffindor, but she wasn't stupid; with no wand, she was in no position to hold her ground.

Looking behind her, the two men seemed in conflict about how to proceed and Hermione never saw the woman she hit coming.

Breathing hard, the Gryffindor cowered as she registered the woman before her, with one of dark witch's hands over her mouth, the other around her back, stopping her escape.

"Don't scream."


	3. Hagrid's Confession

**A/N:** Thanks **for all the interest, guys, I tried to reply to as many reviews as possible but some slipped through the net :) Anyway, hope you like, my friends.**

-X-

Hermione was far too scared to scream.

 _Bellatrix_. _My wand. Shit._

"Bellatrix, he said _not_ to scare her-"

"I know what he said, Tavers."

Bellatrix let go of her mouth and loosened her grip on Hermione's back, but didn't let go of her completely.

"Listen to me." She demanded quickly, looking around and then back down at Hermione's pale face. "We're not trying to hurt you, but you have _got_ to get away from Hogwar-"

"Bella we need to go, someone's coming." The urgency in the man called Tavers' voice was palpable.

"Shit." Bellatrix muttered.

Someone was coming. Hermione's heart leapt with hope, which only just crested above the stifling fear at being this close to the woman who had been plaguing her for so long. Maybe this wasn't how she was going to die after all.

Bellatrix opened her mouth, perhaps to speak more urgently than before, but snapped it shut again and quickly pulled away from the Gryffindor, grabbing the two men roughly by the collars and in a second- gone.

Before Hermione had a moment to process what had just happened, someone grabbed her from behind and whirled her around, making her dizzy in her already fragile state. This time, however, she was faced with a very different woman.

"Professor McGonagall." She spluttered, her voice shaky.

"Who was here? What did they say to you?" The professor was shaking her shoulders as she shouted, her Scottish tones high.

"I- nothing, I don't know who they were, they didn't say anything- they didn't have a chance-" The Gryffindor watched the Teacher slowly turn over what she had said in her mind, and suddenly, her shoulders were free. Hermione didn't know why she had lied, but the strange way Bellatrix had acted towards her had given her reason to pause. That, and the sudden, uncomfortable suspicion that the Professor had been following her to know she was here at all.

"I will escort you back to the school."

"Professor, my wand-"

"Is still undergoing tests." The older woman cut her off, curtly.

 _She's lying_. A voice in the dark of Hermione's mind whispered.

In silence, Hermione followed the Professor through the streets, back through the village and towards the castle.

 _Bellatrix was right there. She was warm, she was_ real _. But why didn't she hurt me, when she had the perfect opportunity- at least, as far as she knew at the time. And what did the man say? 'He said not to hurt her', what the hell was that supposed to mean? Did someone sent them? Who the hell would send the most dangerous Death Eater alive to get me if they didn't intend to hurt me? Unless they didn't see her like that, unless they thought she was the perfect choice. But surely the only one who would see Bellatrix as a good choice and had the power to command her would be-_

Hermione's thoughts were abruptly cut off as the reached the school gates.

"Return to your quarters, Miss Granger, I shall see you down for dinner." And with that, the older witch straightened her hat, set her jaw, and stalked past her inside.

-X-

After a tense dinner time which involved far more question-dodging from the boys than eating, Hermione retired from from the rabble to the common room.

Before she had left the great hall, Professor McGonagall had attempted to pull her to one side, but Snape had suddenly appeared like some kind of hook-nosed phantom and after a cold, rigid, staring contest between the two teachers, Hermione had been moved along to the drawl of 'run along, Miss Granger.'

After changing her clothes into some muggle jeans and a large comforting jumper, Hermione began piling books from the bookshelves onto the floor in the order she wanted to read them. She was determined to clear her head of damning and confusing thoughts of Bellatrix and shake the shock away from her mind and have a nice, normal evening of browsing good books.

A good while later, as she scanned the pages of Newt Scamander's 'Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them'- which she couldn't help but think had the makings of a film through it's dusty pages- a tapping at the window drew her attention.

Dropping the book, Hermione picked her way past the thinning number of other students- of whom she had barely noticed since she had sat down- to let a small, school issued owl in. It ruffled its wings and warbled appreciatively, sticking its leg out to her where a note was tied to its ankle.

"Thanks, birdy." Hermione mumbled, petting the owl softly and letting it back out so it could return to the owlry for the night.

Wondering if it would be something from McGonagall, Hermione opened the note- which really was just a piece of beaten up parchment folded in two and tied with gardening twine- and read the short message scrawled in handwriting she recognised immediately.

"Hermione,

It's not safe for you here at Hogwarts anymore. I've got your wand.

Meet me in the forbidden forest tonight at 1am. Don't mind where- the dog will be able to find you. Don't tell no one about this, and make sure to get rid of the letter good and proper, like.

I'll see you there."

There was no name attached, but Hermione would know Hagrid's handwriting anywhere, and even if she hadn't, the wording would have given him away. She assumed that the game keeper must have banked on her recognition and hoped to make the letter more ambiguous to prying eyes by not adding a name. The mention of Fang rather gave him away a little, but Hermione supposed any one could write a note and have a dog.

Looking around her to make sure no one was watching, she discreetly threw the note into the fire. It was nearly ten o clock now, and Hermione was sure that if she went to sleep, she'd not be able to get up again.

What could he want? Was it to do with his strange behaviour earlier? And what did he mean it was 'no longer safe' at Hogwarts? Hogwarts was her home, she couldn't imagine anywhere safer, especially not after being accosted in the streets by death eaters.

Dedicating the last of her energy to it, and pushing the anxiety bubbling in her stomach down, she heaved up a new book from the pile she had made earlier, flipped it open to a random page, and began to read with as much interest and attention as she could muster.

By half past twelve, Hermione was having trouble focusing her eyes on the words, and the fire had died down to a contented, glowing heap in the grate. Deciding it was now or never, Hermione let the book slide from her lap, and stretched her legs out as she stood, standing on tiptoes for a second. She patted her hair down and left the common room and its drowsy warmth for the chill of the dim, empty corridors.

She saw no sign of filch, Mrs Norris, or Minerva as she glided silently in the shadows, and had to admit to being all the more grateful for it. She hadn't thought up an excuse for the occasion she might be questioned on what she was doing.

The outside air woke Hermione up like a bucket of cold water and she instantly missed the warmth of the common room. She hugged her arms around her middle and hunkered down into her wooly jumper as her breath plumed out in white bellows around her, marching across the grass as fast as her legs would allow without risking slipping on the wet grass below.

Hagrid's hut was in darkness as she passed it by, and Hermione wondered if it would have been better to leave the lights lit, and give the impression he was inside. Her wondering stopped when she crossed the thresh hold to the forbidden forest. It was god awful quiet for a place supposedly so alive with creatures good and evil alike, and Hermione was more on edge for it. She remembered the gargantuan spider nest Harry and Ron had encountered and recalled how they had described the massive arachnids swarming down from above. She looked up through the dense trees and shivered. She couldn't even see the moon. Not wanting to dally in one place too long, she crept through the undergrowth and weaved through the various trees until a sound caught her attention, and made her come to a cautious stop. It was a snuffling, like something big was rooting around nearby. It stopped and started intermittently, before a voice said "'Ermione? That you?"

Hermione's heart flooded with relief and she let out a shaky breath as Hagrid and Fang came into view from her right. The dog seemed pleased enough to see her, wagging his stumpy tail and and lolling his tongue.

"'Ere you go, ya great mutt." Hagrid said, tossing Fang some unidentifiable treat. The dog ate it enthusiastically, and Hagrid shook his head in playful scolding at the animal.

"Glad you made it alright, Hermione, I was worried that old bag might have nabbed you before you could get away."

Hermione was surprised to hear Hagrid speak so harshly of Professor McGonnagal.

"I didn't see her at all, actually. Nor Filch, nor his blasted cat."

Hagrid grumbled. "Can't be good, never good when they all go quiet at once. Anyhow," Hagrid said, taking a seat on a very rotten looking tree stump that cracked and squealed softly under his weight. "Listen up, and listen good. We might not have much time if anyone comes looking."

"Time for what?" Hermione asked, unable to stand the not knowing.

Hagrid sighed. "Look. It's not safe here any more. Not for you, Hermione- and I know it's not your fault- none of this is your fault- and I told him, I told Dumbledore that this would happen, that once you grew up you'd be targeted, but he wouldn't listen."

"I don't understand." Hermione said hesitantly, not used to those words whilst on school grounds. "A target for who?"

"Well for everyone. The light and the dark." Hagrid snorted. "If there is any such thing."

Hermione was at a loss.

"Alright." Hagrid said, sounding emotional. "I'll start from the beginning. From when you was a baby. You see, Harry wasn't the first little'un I pulled from tragic circumstances. You weren't quite so little as Harry was, when it happened, but you was little enough. Too little. You see, your parents, your real parents, they were magical folk. Purebloods, and, as history will have it, dark ones at that. They were active in the first war, your mother, I suppose, was what Bellatrix Lestrange is today. Your father was less powerful with magic but he had an avid thirst for knowledge, just like you, and he used it to great advantage. Then, when you was about two, they were killed. Just after little Harry sent He-who-must-not-be-named packing, the ministry struck out, feeling brave, and your parents fell in the fight. They sent me out to get you from the manor, and to take you to muggles, so that you'd never learn of your heritage, see. So that you'd never get to your full potential and look for revenge, so you'd think you were just a muggleborn lucky to even have magic. They were afraid you'd be a game-changer if there was ever another war, if He ever came back, what with how powerful your parents were and how driven you'd be against the ministry."

Hermione was staring open-mouthed at Hagrid. None of this could be true. Her parents were dentists.

"I know this is a lot to take in, but hear me out." Hagrid said, seeing she was about to explode with denials and questions.

"You were raised as Hermione Granger, but your real name, your birth name, is Hermione Alistaire. Didn't you ever think it was a little odd, you, a muggleborn, being called Hermione? That's a witch's name if ever I heard one. Anyway, the trace on your wand already ended last year. You'll be 19 on the 7th of October. Now, that leaves recent events."

Hermione was still staring dumbly at Hagrid.

"To keep things short, someone in the ministry is working both sides, managed to stumble across all the files on you, including your new name and age. They gave this information to Him, who's now pretty keen to get to you. Don't get me wrong though, he doesn't want you as some sort of prisoner- he wants you there because he thinks it's where you belong. Where your parents were. Unfortunately, whoever told Him, also told Minerva.

Hermione, there's no easy way of saying this, but... Well... The second the ministry know you've found out about who you are, they're going to ship you off to Azkaban for 'your own safety'. 'Course, it's really just because they'll all be bricking it you'll escape and join the other side, get trained up properly and come back to bite them. That, and they don't want no one knowing they kidnapped a little girl and wiped a load of muggles memories to get them to raise her, but that's by the by."

Hermione couldn't formulate a sentence. She waited, for a sound, for an argument, for anything to bubble up from her mind. But she couldn't. Everything had frozen mid motion.

"How do you know all this?" She spluttered eventually.

Hagrid shuffled on the tree stump and grumbled some more.

"Well, once I realised earlier that Snape had given you that coin, I might've..." He cleared his throat a little. "Done a little eavesdropping... Got one of those ears from the Weasely's. Wasn't expecting to find out you were the little girl from all those years ago."

"What _is_ the coin?"

"Oh, right, I never got around to explaining. Snape, turns out, has been trying to keep an eye on you- that's why he called you to class for no reason, and then let you go early- so you'd be able to evade Minerva trying to watch you by moving erratically. That's why he told you to keep your wand on you, too- in case they were waiting for you to go out alone, without it. Suppose they got tired of waiting in the end and Minerva thought of a way to take it off you- on that note-"

Hagrid leaned over and pulled Hermione's wand out of his pocket, handing it to her. Hermione had never been so grateful in all of her life.

"Don't ask how I got that back."

"McGonagall said it was undergoing tests."

"Well it was looking pretty dusty in the desk draw it was in, lies the lot of it, if you ask me. Anyhow- the coin has a twin, and it displays little co-ordinates around the edge that tell you where the other one is. Fairly sure Narcissa Malfoy has the second one- 'least she did, last I heard."

 _So that's how they found me so easily._

"Minerva made my blood boil, I tell you, talking about you like some criminal, or a dangerous animal that had to be contained."

Hermione shivered. "Hagrid I can't go to prison, what would they try me for? I haven't done anything wrong!"

Hagrid looked at her sympathetically. "There wouldn't be no trial, Hermione. They'd just ship you off and tell everyone... Well... They might even say you were dead."

Hermione looked horrified. This was all too much.

Hagrid leant over and produced something from his pocket. "Here. Take this. I put a few bits in it for you that you might need or find helpful."

"Helpful? For what?"

Hagrid looked down at the forest floor.

"You've got to go, Hermione."

"What?" Hermione was borderline panicking.

"It's not safe here, I told you. You have to go. Somewhere they can't get you."

"Where?" The only other place Hermione had was her... She paused at calling them her parents. If what Hagrid was saying was true, then they weren't her parents at all.

"Go to the people that can keep you safe, Hermione. I know it's hard, and I don't like doin' it, but you'll find there's more to them than meets the eye."

Hermione balked. "You can't be serious. They'll say I joined Him! What about Harry?"

"Don't you worry about Harry, or Ron for that matter, tomorrow morning I'll get them down here and tell them everything for you, so they know not to believe any of the lies that might come out."

Hermione was near hysterical. "Hagrid I can't just-"

"Hermione, you've got to. Lucius will restore your name, you'll have all your parents money and estates. You'll be just fine. But you've got to get out whilst you still can, or you'll rot with the dementors and I couldn't live with myself-"

Hagrid sniffled and wiped his eyes with the back of one giant hand.

"Go to the shrieking shack. Someone will meet you there by dawn."

"How long have you been planning this?"

"Well, ever since you was two, silly." Hagrid said fondly. "You didn't think I'd let them take you away and then not help you out when the time came, did you?"

"Why wait until now?"

"Didn't know it was you until now, did I? Never told me your name, real or new, or your age for that matter. And you've more than changed a little since you were two, I'll tell you."

Hermione didn't know what to say. She was terrified of going to Azkaban, but she couldn't just turn up at Evil HQ and ask if there was any room at the inn.

"Hagrid, they'll kill me." She said weakly.

"I know it must seem that way, but you've got to trust me. They want to take you in as one of their own, not push you away or hurt you. They're the best hope you've got. Minerva plans to turn you in any day now, I heard her say it myself. They'd rather be safe than sorry now that the other side are making attempts to get you."

Hermione opened her mouth and shut it again several times in a row.

"Come now." Hagrid said, getting himself together with obvious effort. "Last questions. Before you go."

He was determined, if nothing else.

"Okay." Hermione steadied herself. She was going to have to do as she was told. That much was obvious. She was far too scared to go back into the castle and risk going to Azkaban as Hagrid had said. She would just have to take this one step at a time, and view it all as a learning experience. Getting to the shack by herself would be step one.

"Hagrid? Who's side are you on?" She asked, not sure what the answer she wanted to hear was.

"Right now, Hermione, I'm on your side. Just remember that, and all the rest will sort itself out."

Hermione took a deep breath. "And you promise... Well.. You promise?" She couldn't find one phrase to sum up all she'd been told.

"I promise." He said firmly.

Hermione rushed forward to hug the game keeper, almost tripping over Fang whom she had forgotten was even there.

"Right. Come on. Off with you." Hagrid was clearly crying into his beard, his voice strained.

"One last thing. Who will be coming to get me?"

"I'm afraid the answer to that wont make you feel better." Hagrid said honestly.

Below them, Fang scrambled to his feet. He made a low keening, glaring into the forest in the direction of the school.

"Someone's coming- quick- go now, if they catch you here, you're done for, they'll know I told you."

Hermione's heart was pounding.

"Go- go!" Hagrid hissed, hearing a rustling closing in on them.

With a thrill of fear, Hermione turned on the spot and ran into the trees, praying her inner compass was taking her where she thought it was.


	4. A Drink From Bellatrix Black

**A/N; Hey guys :) I've duly fixed the mishap with the incident of the suddenly reappearing wand (that's what I get for writing out of sequence), hopefully this chapter will answer some of the most asked questions, about both Minerva and Bellatrix. And on that note, I am now out of pre-written chapters. Shit :)**

 ***OKAY so I have no idea what happened there, it was fine when I uploaded it haha. Okay, let's try this again. Onwards.**

After a long, exhausting, panic-fuelled escape out of the school grounds and a fearful apparition, Hermione found herself standing in the cold drizzle in an alley way behind a muggle pub called The Frozen Hearth. It was lit by a string of red, blue, and white miniature lanterns that were tacked above the back door, then back and forth to the opposite wall in a wide zigzag, so that the majority of the alley had the little lights hovering over head. By the cigarette butts, it was an employee smoking area, and the door, she quickly realised, was the rear door to the kitchens.

Her parents, as she knew them, used to take her here every weekend for dinner, which they got for next to nothing due to being close friends- and occasional mates-rates dentists- with the owner. She had come here during her breaks from Hogwarts to study in front of the fire and as she had scrambled over roots and brambles in the pitch black forest, she had the sudden urge to use the place as a bolt-hole. She knew really that she should stick to the plan and go to the Shrieking Shack, but reality hit not long after the glow of Hagrid's lamp had disappeared from view and she just couldn't get the bravery together to go there and wait like a sheep waiting to be slaughtered.

She unlocked the bolt on the gate to her right and slid it back into place from the other side with a quick spell so that no one would suspect it had been opened. Tucking her wand back into her sleeve, she buried the lower half of her face back into her jumper, stuffed her hands into her pockets, and quickly walked around to the front of the pub, where she could linger as if waiting for a taxi and no one would look twice at her as she watched for signs of death eaters or Bellatrix. _When did I start differentiating between the two?_

It was a long, cold, sobering wait, but hermione wanted to be alone, and if that meant breaking in after-hours, then so be it. By two am, the patrons and their money had long gone home to sleep off their heads, followed very shortly by the kitchen staff, then the bar tenders, then, lastly, the manager, who locked up the pub at half past three and smiled briefly at her as he shuffled through the cold to his car. His tail lights faded into nothing, and Hermione let herself sit down on one of the shadowy picnic tables.

It was minutes before Hermione became aware of another presence, even though she was half asleep with the numbing cold.

"Well I have to give it to you, I'm impressed. I didn't think you'd actually be mad enough to deviate from what you were told."

Hermione made a short huffing sound.

"Is it _mad_ to pray for better hallucinations?" She sniped, too tired and too cold to be afraid.

Bellatrix faltered.

"Reducto."

Hermione's expression didn't change, and the fake behind her disintegrated.

"Surely you can do better than that." She muttered, slightly offended.

"Alright." The real Bellatrix stepped out from the same alley Hermione had apparated to earlier that night.

"How did you know it was a fake, Alistaire? You didn't even look."

Hermione's eyes met Bellatrix's for a brief moment. "Intuition."

"It could have been a polyjuice."

"Either way, a reducto would have done."

"A reducto wouldn't have killed me." Bellatrix said, no even gloating in the simple fact.

"Well, where would have been the fun in that?" Hermione felt hollow, alone, and betrayed past redemption, and her face didn't change as she joked.

Bellatrix regarded the resigned body language of the young woman before her.

"Well." Hermione said, wondering how her life had gone so quickly off the rails. "I suppose this means I'm ready to talk. Whether I like it or not."

"Looks that way." Bellatrix agreed. She couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl- she had been dealt a rough hand.

There was a quiet and Bellatrix stopped next to where she sat.

"I'm not sitting on a bench all night. Come on."

"All night?" Hermione joked, instantly inwardly-slapping herself at her own implications. She had in no way forgotten her dreams, or the mirror. She especially hadn't forgotten the boggart incident. But Bellatrix didn't need to know about any of that.

Bellatrix's wand made short work of the feeble muggle lock to the pub door and she held it open, rolling her eyes.

Hermione slipped past her, secretly revelling in the warmth left from the fires and very aware of how the older witch watched her go.

Bellatrix was far more skilled at pouring drinks without the aid of a house elf than Hermione would ever have guessed.

The Gryffindor re-lit one of the fires and settled in an arm chair as Bellatrix made an overly complicated concoction of alcohol and fresh juice behind the bar to her left.

"At least the muggles know how to drink."

"I'm fairly sure muggles _invented_ drinking."

"Not entirely useless then."

"Not entirely." Hermione saw no use in starting an argument about Bella's views on muggles. Even if she disagreed, she didn't have the energy to assert it.

Bellatrix raised an eyebrow at the unexpected compliance without looking up from the drinks she was carrying.

"Hm."

Hermione took her drink. "Should I ask?" She questioned, looking at the soft pink coloured drink.

"Well, you could, but then where would be the fun in that?" Bellatrix teased her with her own words.

"Hu. A drink from Bellatrix Black." Hermione took a sip. It was surprisingly sweet.

"You know, I appreciate that." Bellatrix said, choosing her words carefully as she lay herself lengthways along the sofa that faced the fire to Hermione's right, propped upright enough to still be able to drink comfortably. "'Black'" Bellatrix added. "Not many people acknowledge the change."

Hermione swirled her drink around in her glass. "I didn't realise you talked to that many people."

" _Hilarious_."

"By nature."

The quiet settled again, and then, "Are you trying to get me drunk, whatever this is is at least 80%."

Bellatrix laughed a noticeably genuine sounding laugh. "Only 80?" She teased, turning her head to look at Hermione's face. "I'm sorry, I'll get you an orange juice next time."

"Hmf, first 'all night', now 'next time'? It's starting to sound like you want to make this a regular thing."

Bellatrix took a drink and then set the glass down on the table. "Well, hell, isn't it set to be?"

She had a point, Hermione thought.

"Perhaps."

More quiet.

"You're wasted, you know." Bellatrix commented, after a while.

"Says the woman drinking... what is that, straight ethanol?" Hermione squinted at the drink on the table. Bellatrix glanced at it and make a noncommittal noise that could have meant that it wasn't as much as it could have meant that it was.

"Not quite. And I meant following Potter around."

Hermione's heart wrenched at the mention of her best friend. "I can't see that I'll be doing much more of that." She said blankly.

"No." Bellatrix sighed. "So what _will_ you do?"

"Do I have bountiful choices?"

"Mm'no. You can either set off alone, or come back with me. Or go to prison, which I wouldn't recommend, but your choice." Bellatrix twirled her wand between her fingers idly.

"I have no where to go on my own."

"For now. Your parents left you a vast estate."

Hermione made a noise of little humour. "Which I have no access to."

"As I said; for now."

Leaning back in her seat Hermione closed her eyes. "Maybe I'll turn myself into a cat and just stay here." She sighed quietly.

She heard rustling as Bellatrix sat up. "Or you could live a life free of fur balls and fleas and just come home."

 _Home._ Just where was Bellatrix considering taking her?

"How did you even find me here?"

"Didn't Hagrid explain about the coin?"

 _Ah._ She had forgotten about that.

"Sorry for jump-scaring you earlier, by the way. You seem to have recovered from your deep fears rather quickly though, might I add." The dark witch smirked. "Realised I'm not so bad?"

"Something like that." Hermione murmured. "And, of course, theres the small, new fact that I no longer give a toss if you choose to kill me."

Her comment earned a wry smile. "There are worse things than death, Hermione; and they've found you. So- come on." Bellatrix downed the last of her drink and stood suddenly. "Use that critically acclaimed brain, and let's go."

Hermione sighed and finished her drink in the same manner, reeling from the strength, and then stood.

"Fine. Take me to your leader." Hermione felt a little hysterical as Bellatrix looped an arm around her waist and the feeling of apparition wrung her brain.

-X-

Upon arrival, it was Narcissa Malfoy who found them first, which led to the correct assumption that they were in Malfoy Manor.

"Oh, Hermione." She said, reaching out and cupping her face for a moment, reminding Hermione far too much of Mrs Weasley.

"Are you alright?" The youngest Black sister peered at her slightly, as if studying her face alone might give her the answers she wanted.

Hermione nodded dumbly. Never before had she seen an ounce of emotion within this woman, to the point where she had doubted if Narcissa were capable of it at all. Now, here she was, acting like Hermione was a long lost child.

"Cissa, she's tired." Bellatrix said quietly, as if that explained everything.

"Of course." Narcissa said apologetically. "You're a very welcome guest in my home, Hermione, anything you need, please let me know. Or if you'd rather, call for an elf- Tippi is always around."

Hermione struggled a weak, appreciative smile and a nod, before Bellatrix guided her out of the room and up the grand stair case.

The room she was guided into did not feel like a guest room.

"Stay in my room for tonight, there are still death eaters in this house who do not know of your arrival. I wouldn't like for you to be staying in an unprotected room with those cretins blundering about all night, especially the ones who are... unaware or your situation."

Hermione nodded and Bellatrix sighed gently beside her.

"Hermione." She said, almost hesitantly. "Look at me."

Hermione's heart beat quivered and her stomach dropped. As slowly as she could, she glanced up towards the woman's eyes.

 _God, she's beautiful._

Hermione tried to look back down at that thought, but Bellatrix quickly caught her chin with her index finger and brought her eyes back up.

"Hermione, I know you're afraid, and I know you'd rather be anywhere else right now, and under any other circumstance. But whilst you are here you _will_ be kept safe, and I will do whatever it takes to stop you from going to that place."

The weight of keeping direct eye contact with Bellatrix was almost crippling. Even at what Hermione assumed was her gentlest, she still had a power to her presence that demanded against the insubordination of looking straight at her.

The younger witch half wondered why Bellatrix had avoided saying the word 'Azkaban'. The other half of her scornfully told her it was likely because even someone as strong as Bellatrix was haunted by the horrors of a place that kept dementors as pets.

"Thank you." Was all Hermione could manage. Her voice shook so pitifully as she tried to keep it together she thought she might never be able to wear red and gold again.

Bellatrix made a soft sound of acknowledgement and let Hermione's chin go. The girl dropped her gaze straight back to the floor like her eyes had bricks tied to them.

"I'll be back in an hour, the bathroom's through the door behind me, the elf is around somewhere. Try to get some sleep." And with that, Bellatrix touched her shoulder and left the room.

Running her hands through her hair, Hermione decided to investigate the bathroom Bellatrix had mentioned. There were still twigs in her hair and she was littered with delicate scratches from thorns and brambles.

Inside the bathroom was more luxury than Hermione had ever been privy too in her whole life. Every surface was pristine, polished black marble, the flooring was made of matte, sandy coloured stone slabs, and in the centre on the room was a giant square shaped black marble bath tub with six different gold taps, which was made to look as though it was a risen up part of the floor with a set of stone steps running all around the four sides.

Hermione found a towel and after a few minutes of poking and prodding, managed to run a hot bath without wrecking the place.

Sinking into it, Hermione started to cry.

-X-

"And Minerva?" Narcissa asked, worry lining her features. "She may have told the press it was accidental, but she knows damn fine what they did, Bella, and she's going to take it out on Hermione regardless of how illogical it seems. She loved that man more than anything."

"Her husband knew the risk. He picked a fight with the wrong people."

The youngest Black sister sighed. "Evidenced by the manner in which they found him."

"Evidenced by the manner in which they found him" Bellatrix echoed quietly. "If the old hag even touches Hermione, then twelve long years later, she'll go out the same way her husband did."

Bellatrix pointedly ignored her sisters smug stare.

"The last time I saw the protective, gentle side of you, I was four, and I'd fallen from a tree." Narcissa poked playfully.

Bellatrix rolled her eyes, but smiled all the same. "I've not got multiple personalities, Cissy."

"No, but you'll admit, you do have _sides_ to your personality. And this side has been gone a long time."

"I suppose."

"Ah, see." Narcissa said triumphantly, "There's a mother in you, after all."

Bellatrix balked at that. From the amount of times she'd noticed the girls body as she'd guided her up the stairs, 'mother' might not be the most appropriate term for her feelings on the girl. But Cissy didn't need to know that.

"Mm." She mumbled, noncommittally. "I don't know, there's just something about her, I mean, the magical potential alone is staggering." Bellatrix collapsed onto the sofa beside her sister.

"Are you sure it's not just the big doe eyes?"

Narcissa giggled at her sister's face.

"And if it was?" Bellatrix challenged.

"Well, it would certainly be refreshing to see you do something other than maim a person."

Bellatrix looked at her younger sister slowly. "Sorry, was that a hint at voyeurism?"

Narcissa pulled a face. "Absolutely not."

" _Before_ I hear something I _permanently_ regret."

At the familiar drawl, both women turned to see Snape standing in the doorway.

"Might I ask where she is?"

"Leave her alone, Severus. You can cross-examine her tomorrow." Narcissa spoke quickly, genuinely hoping he would give the poor girl some time alone.

Severus dipped his head, knowing that arguing with the youngest Black sister was pointless.

"Well, when she re-appears, do send her my way. I have something that might raise her spirits."


	5. The Parents In The Portrait

**A/N; Okay, it's okay, I'm still alive. I got the error message of doom from fanfic which stopped me from accessing my profile for nearly three days, or this would have been up Wednesday night. I'm sorry. Please forgive. This one is slightly shorter that the others, I think the Bellamione-ness will start to set in forreal in the next chapter. Until then. :)**

Mermaid Scales.

Elf's blood.

Powdered Dragon horn.

Hemlock root.

Black Myrrh.

Hermione's eyes drifted from one container to the other, reading the faded cursive on the browning labels one by one. Some were in tall crystalline perfume-like vials, others in squat, square glass bottles with corks pressed into the necks. Some were clear, some a dark olive green, and some brown.

Hermione had stumbled upon this dusty room half an hour ago, and had began perusing its weird and wonderful contents to try and clear her head of her dreams- which were back with vengeance.

Perhaps it was just because she knew Bellatrix that little bit more intricately now, the way her hair moved, her voice when she wasn't livid, how she interacted with people outside of war- or perhaps it was just because she'd fallen asleep in the older witch's bed, after crying herself out in the bath and finding the bed room still empty when she emerged. Either way, the dreams had served to bring back to her attention the quandary of the mirror, the boggart, and what in seven hells it all meant.

The young witch carefully lifted a skinny hexagonal crystal vial labelled 'Mandrake Spine', holding it up to the weak sunlight streaming in from the window and turning it around. It was a long, dark, brittle looking thing suspended in clear liquid, which vaguely resembled the tendrils that grew from old turnips. It bulged as Hermione looked at it through the thicker glass at the corners of the vial, and then shrank back down as the glass thinned out.

She twirled it around and around until it appeared to pulsate like a heart. She wondered what it was used for. She hadn't even been aware Mandrake's _had_ spines.

"I'd be careful with that-" a voice came from behind her. "-If the cork comes out, Mandrake Spines are known to permanently numb the skin wherever it touches."

Hermione turned towards the blonde standing behind her. "Oh." Was all she could say. She put it back on the perfectly dust-free hexagonal spot on the shelf it had come from.

"Snape has been keeping his rarer samples here for so long now I can't remember what it was used for before."

Hermione sat down slowly on the old stool that was tucked away under the desk, unsure what to say.

"I suppose they have to go somewhere." She said, lamely. After a few seconds of awkward silence Hermione sighed loudly.

"Draco, I know we've never been friends, but-"

"We can be." He blurted. "Friends, I mean. You know, now-"

"Now I'm a pureblood." Hermione didn't look at him.

"No. Now that you don't have Potter following you around, and House expectations and all the rest of the crap that goes with the Hogwarts territory. I'm- it's just- well it's just an offer. I, uh- I'll leave you alone." He was slightly pink as he shuffled from the room, moving out of the way to let another person past.

"Snape wants to see you." Bellatrix said casually, staring around the room and then at her and then over her shoulder at where Draco had been. If she was wondering, she didn't ask.

Hermione met her eyes for a moment, and then looked away again, still not quite brave enough hold the weight of her gaze.

"Snape?"

"Mm. Got something for you."

Hermione's interest piqued, and then a horrible thought struck her.

"He's not here to take me back is he?"

Bellatrix made a small sound of amusement. "Snape has no love for Minerva, Hermione, I wouldn't worry about that."

Hermione visibly relaxed.

"He's in the study. Nice dress, by the way." The older witch added, as Hermione stood. She blushed harder than Draco had, and fiddled with the sleeve of what she knew was one of Bellatrix's old dress'.

"Sorry. It's what Tippi gave to me when I got up."

"Elf has good taste. Go on-" Bellatrix half smiled, the corner of her eyes crinkling. "-You know what he's like when he's kept waiting."

-X-

" _Merlin_ s _pare me_." Snape muttered under his breath as he saw Hermione entered the drawing room at long last in Bellatrix's dress. He couldn't deal with _two_ of them.

"Sorry?"

"Nothing. Sit down, please, Hermione. There's much to discuss."

Hermione took a seat on the other side of the desk, feeling a lot like she was at a job interview. The use of her first name hadn't gotten past her, either.

"Thank you for joining me, excuse my sending Bellatrix; I wasn't enthused with the idea of knocking on every door in the house to find you. Lucius has worked through the night to get this information for you. I'm sure you'll be pleased to see it."

He handed her a very fat open envelope, which was bursting with many different pieces of parchment. She fished them all out in a wedge, and opened the first one.

It was a birth certificate.

Hermione Eliza Alistaire read the full name, and 7-10-78 under Date of Birth.

Her parents were listed as Genevieve Madelyn Alistaire née Bräms, and Tobias Percival Alistaire, with both of their signatures signed at the bottom. Hermione felt… odd.

"I know you still wont take it as a given, Hermione, so I also prepared that for you." Snape gestured at the next piece of paper on the pile. She picked it up, flipping it open and scanning it intently.

It was a letter from the department of Missing Persons, which detailed a full analysis of her DNA, with a confirmation of matches to both Genevieve and Tobias Alistaire.

"With that, we have managed to reinstate you to your former name on the records- although, of course, which you chose to be known by will be up to you."

Hermione nodded. She hadn't put much thought into which name to go by, not convinced before now that anything she was seeing was real. She opened the next piece of paper which was a photograph of her birth parents, and spent a long time staring at it, mesmerised. Her mother looked shockingly similar to her, especially in her eyes, and she had her father's button nose.

"Go ahead, open the last one." Snape prompted. Hermione had almost forgotten that there _was_ another one. She unfolded it, still reeling from the photo, and read the writing carefully.

" _Oh shit!"_

Narcissa heard the exclamation from the library and smiled to herself. She supposed Hermione hadn't been expecting quite so many zeros.

Snape had allowed her to look over the different documents he had acquired over breakfast, and even she had needed a glass of water after reading the sum of money that had been left to the young girl. She now had a bigger fortune than the Malfoys, and almost as large as the Black's and with the complete and hugely missed luxury of not having the Dark Lord siphoning from it, too.

Hermione also had more manors, castles and retreats than she could ever need, more than enough muggle land, and shares in the Broom industry.

Yes, it was going to take quite some getting used to.

-X-

The rain had been pattering against the window like fingers tapping to get in for at least an hour as Hermione sat on the wrong side of it, shielded by a charm but tempted to let it down just to feel something she understood. The sky had darkened progressively over the course of the day until it was one boiling, purple storm system, encompassing the grounds around the Manor in a heavy, oppressive blanket. Lightning had erratically lit the bruised clouds up mauve every so often, and thunder rumbled around in the distance like two marbles in a giant bowl.

Hermione was everything her 11-year-old self had ever wanted and more, and it made her feel dirty as hell.

She had _so_ much money. It was near all she could think about. She had so much that she would never need to work, never need to worry about herself not being able to get by. She had property in every nook and corner of the country, full of heirlooms and history and promises of safety. She had a new name. She was a pureblooded witch, who had powerful enemies, but the promise of equally powerful friends. It was so romantic, so idealised, so… stolen. That's how it felt, as though she had stolen someone else's life, grand theft identity.

Of course, she knew she really just needed to adjust. Her whole life had been preparing her for things that were now blown out of the water. Jobs, careers, rent, mortgages, budgets for food, all things she now had no need of.

 _No wonder young over-night celebrities have such dismal records for going off the rails._

It wasn't to say, of course, that she _couldn't_ have a job, should she want to. In fact, if anything, she would probably have greater job prospects now than she did before. If she wasn't bing treated like a wanted criminal, that was.

She sighed as another rumble of thunder echoed around the heavens and winced as the brilliant lightning that followed shocked her vision into a fuzz of purple and green.

"And I thought Cissy was weird for always sitting in the _kitchen_."

Hermione squinted up through the rain, her vision still tinged, and found Bellatrix coming towards her with the biggest umbrella she had ever seen.

"Why's that weird?" Hermione asked, once Bellatrix had dried the other half of the bench and sat down next to her, holding the umbrella over the two of them despite Hermione's magic.

"We have a library." She turned to look at Hermione. "There's still three hours until dinner- oh, and this came for you."

The older witch handed her a note tied with twine.

 _Hagrid_.

"Three hours until dinner? It's six o'clock." Hermione said as she struggled with the knot in the bindings.

"It's a tradition to eat late in pureblooded society, not a clue in happy hell why- here-" Bellatrix took the note back off her and snapped the twine with one sharp tug, ignoring the knot completely.

"How strong are you..." Hermione mumbled, taking the note back and unfolding it.

 _"Hermione,_

 _I've talked to Harry and Ron- all went well._

 _Harry says he promises to sort everything out as soon as he can. Ron's not happy about your whereabouts, but understands it's for the best._

 _Minerva's fuming, an' I think she knows it were you in the forest I was talking to. Never saw who made all the noise, but Fang knows a cat when he smells one._

 _P.S. On that note, your Crookshanks wont leave my hut, an' she's taken the poor mutt's bed._

 _Love, Hagrid."_

Hermione sighed and let the letter go on one side, ignoring it as it slowly curled back into a wide, loose version of the folded shape it had been forced into for the journey to her.

This was real.

 _Minerva, how could you?_

"Severus wondered if you might want to visit one of your properties to take your mind off things for a few hours."

Hermione felt anxiety coil like a viper in the pit of her stomach. "Is that a good idea?"

Bellatrix shrugged and rain pattered onto the canvas of the umbrella them between their silence. "Is anything?" After a few seconds, she smiled, and offered the younger witch her arm.

-X-

Books. Scattered on the floor like dusty, upturned daisies, lining the walls and heaped onto the tables and desks in cobbled pyramids. The whole room was so consumed by covers and bindings and extracts and volumes, that Hermione was sure if she were to pull just one from where it lay, the structural integrity of the room would become compromised.

One particular volume lay open with its pages displayed to the world and upside down, as though it had toppled from the table behind.

Bellatrix paced the room curiously as Hermione picked it up.

"Who's this?" She asked, looking at the photo framed in the middle of the left page. The hand-written scrawl around it had once been a sharp black, but was now a pale blue grey and too faded and stained to read.

Bellatrix's heels picked their way around the debris as she came to look over Hermione's shoulder.

A young girl of no more than 5 stood in front of a huge water fountain, a broom several times her size in one hand and a bludger under the other arm. She was dressed in an old-fashioned dress and coats, and looked as though she was scowling into the sun. In the background you could see the trees around an enormous manor in full bloom.

"Your mother, when she was very young. She could fly before she could walk, my father used to say."

"Not much like her, then." Hermione sighed, wiping all the dust away that she could with her thumb and thinking about her own abysmal flying skills.

"More so than you'd think- wait until you find a photo of her when she was your age, and then we'll talk about likeness."

Hermione put the book down open as much as it pained her, assuming that the damage to the spine was probably already done.

She stared around at the dark wood walls and the ivy that had began to grown along the tarnished curtain rails from the holes in the windows. The manor was in complete disrepair, and fixing it up was going to take a lot of effort.

"Come on, let's go and see if any of the paintings remember you."

Bellatrix held the old wooden door open and Hermione took one last look at the old library before passing the death eater into an imposingly big entrance hall, with two grand stair cases on the left and right walls. They curved around and joined each other to make an open hallway at the top, and more rooms, doors and corridors could be seen leading off in both directions. Between the two stair cases on the ground floor, one large set of double doors stood open leading to what looked like a dining hall.

On either side, protected by the underside of the stair case, four doors, two to the left and two to the right, were firmly shut.

It didn't take them long to find a painting which still held its inhabitant, hanging on the wall at the top of the left hand stair case.

"And who in the name of- Bellatrix?" The man in the painting adjusted his tiny glasses and peered down at the death eater in shock. "Is that you?"

Bellatrix was peering back, and suddenly, "Marcus?"

"Aha!" The portly, florid-faced man in the painting leaned back and put one hand on his knee. "I told your father you'd be back. And- err... who's this?"

Hermione swallowed and looked awkwardly to Bellatrix and then back at the man in the painting, who was staring intently, although not unkindly at her.

"Um. My name's, uh, Hermione."

"Her- Bellatrix? Could it be?"

"Could, and is."

Marcus let out another loud, joyous laugh and Hermione felt her cheeks go pink, not liking being the centre of attention.

"Toby!" The painting boomed over his shoulder, "Toby come quickly, it's Hermione!"

In the distance, over Marcus' shoulder, a figure was rapidly approaching, holding onto his hat as he went. When he drew near, he stopped in wonderment.

"Hermione?" The tall man wheezed. "Is it really you?"

"Uh, I, uh- yes?" Hermione guessed, wondering who the hell Toby was.

"Merlin- Vieve-" The man called frantically, "Genevieve, she's back, our baby has come home at last- GENEVIEVE!" Hermione suddenly froze, remembering the names on the birth certificate Severus had given her. Yet another figure appeared in the painting, this time, sidling elegantly in from the one next door.

"Hermione?" The woman asked, looking emotional as she stopped next to her husband.

Hermione didn't know what to say.

"Well, Bellatrix, what say you we give them the room, eh?" Marcus hauled himself from his seat and at the same time, Bellatrix moved from Hermione's side, and headed towards the dining hall.

All too quickly, Hermione was alone with the parents in the portrait.


	6. Home Truths

**A/N: Alac, I return. In between dying from pneumonia, losing my job and also a pet, writing has been a struggle. (Also that one ass that leaves a shitty non-constructive comment on every chapter didn't help, but not to feed the trolls, I digress).**

 **On with the show~**

"To Ron and Harry,

Sorry for sending your mail to Hagrid, but I know he'll keep it safe until you can read it. Also, sorry it's been almost a week. I've had an insane amount to do considering I'm all but on the run.

I want you to know I'm okay, and that I miss you and Ron both very much. Living in Malfoy Manor is a level of weird I never thought I'd observe so closely. Snape _always_ seems to be here, Draco's bedroom is only three doors down, and Mrs Malfoy is always unnervingly nice to me at all times. Mr Malfoy has yet to show himself, odd, considering it's his house. I would have tried to leave by now I think, but in a surprising turn of events, Bellatrix has turned out to be great company. I hope that doesn't upset you. For god's sake, don't tell Neville- he wouldn't understand.

I'm not really sure how it happened, but just this morning she set fire to Dolohov for being rude to me. It was actually quite funny. Merlin, how must that sound to the outside world?

Anyway. I met my parents a few days ago. I went to visit my Ancestral home and there they were, still ambling about in the paintings. They weren't bad. That must sound heartless- I just meant that they were so different to me, yet at the same time, I kept noticing uncanny similarities. I haven't had time to go back yet, and I'm not really sure what I'll say to them when I do.

By the way- Ron; Tell Molly to check in with Gringotts. I left her a gift to thank her for her kindness and generosity towards me over the years. It was the least I could do.

I don't know when I'll be able to see you again. I suggested polyjuice, but Bellatrix shot the idea of me going out alone down in flames, regardless of disguise. I know she's right. It's just frustrating. Besides, there's nobody here whom I could masquerade as without drawing just as much attention to myself as with my own face.

Keep yourselves safe, and don't keep this letter. Minerva would probably have Filch fetch those 'well oiled chains' from his office and string you up with them should she find out we've been in touch.

All my love, Hermione.

P.S. Draco keeps making attempts to befriend me. Not really sure what to do about it?"

The letter was rolled, sealed, charmed, and held up in the air for the albino owl that represented the Malfoys to take.

"To Hagrid."

It swooped down obediently from somewhere behind her and closed it's pale talons around the parchment, carrying on straight out of the open window without so much as a look back. Hermione had calculated the owl's journey time and had written the letter so that it would be ready to send at about half past two, and would then arrive under the trusted cover of darkness. That way, the bird was less likely to be seen arriving at Hagrid's hut.

She watched it fly away before getting up to find Bellatrix. Being around Bellatrix had become her default position over the last week. She felt comfortable around her, and as an added bonus, safe. Whenever Bellatrix was out on 'business', Hermione would read in the library or talk to the elves, who each had an extensive knowledge of fascinating subject areas that even the Malfoy library didn't cover much. Mostly, though, sad as it sounded, Hermione mostly just waited for Bellatrix to come back.

In the main hall on the second floor, Hermione turned a corner only to have to throw herself against the wall out of the way.

"Merlin, what happened to _him_?" Hermione asked, watching as a bloodied death eater was carried past her by two other death eaters.

"Believe it or not," A voice drawled from behind her. "An unfortunate incident with a boggart that was hiding in Borgin and Burkes."

Hermione paled a little. She turned to look at Snape.

"A _boggart_ did that?"

"In the shape of a very disappointed Dark Lord, yes. Just imagine what _ours_ could have done as an angry Bellatrix, had it actually been quite so _angry_ as it was-"

"As it was what?"

Hermione felt her face flush hot immediately but Snape just chuckled.

Bellatrix had her hands on her hips, in a very good impression of Narcissa if someone was late to dinner- an impression Bellatrix loved to pull for her own amusement whenever she could, though never when Narcissa was actually watching.

Hermione spluttered and tried to think of an excuse, but the older witch's eyes already had a gleam of amusement to them.

"Am I your _boggart_?" She exclaimed, throwing her head back and laughing loudly when Hermione's face answered for her. Hermione couldn't see it, but Snape was smiling with a very uncharacteristic lack of malice behind her.

"Merlin, Hermione, I can't have scared you _that_ much." She was still trying to suppress her laughing.

"Well, whatever you did, it left quite an… impression. Did it not, Miss Granger? I'm almost surprised you haven't asked Bellatrix's opinion on the mirro-"

In a panic, Hermione's wand shot out at the professor, aimed right at his nose. For a moment, the world froze as her inner child realised what she was doing, but to both women's surprise, Snape laughed louder than Bellatrix had.

"In that case, I'll bid good day." He bowed slightly, daring to bring his face even closer to Hermione's wand, before turning on heel and following his patient, still, apparently, giggling.

"What the fuck was that about?" Bellatrix asked, pushing Hermione's arm down against her side where it was still stuck out at nothing.

"I- Nothing-"

"Hermione you nearly blew the man into next week, I saw that look on your face. Am I seriously your boggart? Because even so, I'm not sure that warrants blowing someone up- that said, why did he seem so pleased with himself?" She began to walk and Hermione trailed along after her, trying to think of a way out.

"Nothing, it wasn't that-"

"There's something else?"

"No- I mean-" _For god's sake Hermione._

"Come on." Bellatrix said. "What is it? Did something happen with the boggart?"

Silence.

"So something happened with the boggart. It didn't hurt you, did it? Because I do do that sometimes." Bellatrix was frowning.

"No, it didn't hurt me, as such."

"Then what did it do?"

"Nothing…"

"Okay, okay. Moving on, then, what did he think my opinion would have been drafted in about?"

"…Nothing…" Hermione's hear was pounding.

"Something about a mirror?" Bellatrix continued, ignoring her feeble protests. "Funny, the Dark Lord was looking for a mirror not long ago, some enchanted thing that shows you what you want most in the world. Gave up fairly soon though because it was hidden away at Hogwar-" Bellatrix stopped walking suddenly and slowly turned to look at Hermione, whose eyes were firmly fixed to the floor.

"No way. No way in hell. Did you find that mirror? Am I- Am I what you see in the _mirror_ as well?"

"How the hell could you possibly have worked-"

"I can see it on your face."

"You did _not_ get that from my _face_."

"Remember, I was the brightest witch of _my_ age, too. That, and I don't believe in coincidence."

Hermione sighed. Snape had really done it this time.

"So… When did _that_ happen?"

"Just before I saw you in Hogsmede."

"Makes sense."

"How so?"

"Because you lied to Minerva about me."

Hermione looked thoroughly exasperated. "How do you know I lied-"

"Hermione, if you'd like to carry on with your plans for the day, now would be the time."

The youngest witch was interrupted as Narcissa appeared at the end of the hall holding a large hessian sack.

"My-" _Oh shit._ She had forgotten about her plans.

"You're really married to doing this, then?" Bellatrix sighed.

"I just want to see them. Just for half an hour."

"You might not get half a minute before we're swarmed by Aurors."

"But I _might_."

Narcissa held her hand up for silence. "As long as Bellatrix stays with you. And at the first sign of trouble-"

"Yes, yes, I'll put her over my shoulder and run down the street with her to safety, I know."

"Please _don't_ do that." Both other women said at once.

Bellatrix just rolled her eyes. "Come on then. You can tell me all about that mirror on the way."

Narcissa watched them go, wondering what that was supposed to mean. Judging by the blush on Hermione's face, she didn't want to know.

Bellatrix pulled her cloak on, eyeing Hermione overtly. The younger witch glanced at her, and then sighed again.

"You're not going to let it go, are you?"

"Not in my nature."

"If I tell you, you have to promise not to bring it up until we get back. Or ever, preferably."

"I can promise to try, best I can do."

 _Rip it off fast, Hermione. Just like a plaster._ "Your boggart kissed me. Right after your reflection- ugh, you don't wanna know. And Snape saw both- at least, he saw the first one and knows about the second." Hermione grimaced. She had never experienced the suicidal view point in full colour before.

"Oh wow." Bellatrix surmised, still sounding pretty amused. "Oh- _wow_ -"

Hermione looked up in confusion right as Bellatrix's face lit up. The older woman laughed with her hand before her mouth like she did when Narcissa got flustered over something comparably trivial.

"You know, there's a nice way to do that." Hermione huffed, not knowing what she had expected.

But Bellatrix wasn't looking at her. In fact, the other witch was looking right past her and over her shoulder through the cloak room's small circular window.

Out side, struggling along with the same bag Narcissa had been holding a few minutes ago, was Lucius Malfoy.

"Oh. I didn't realise he was back." Hermione said uncertainly, confused as to Bellatrix's reaction.

Bellatrix smirked. "Nor did I."

"What's he doing? What's in the bag?"

"He's feeding those stupid bloody peacocks- look at them all waddling up to him like he's some sort of lanky, bird-seed messiah."

Hermione was still staring at Bellatrix's mean grin nervously. Words failed her for a response to that one.

"Come on, before we go- quickly, go, _go_ , before they all run away."

Hermione was ushered out of the cloak room and through the front doors into the sunshine. The well mown lawn shone a happy sap-green in the fine weather, and the pale grey garden statues looked far nicer in the day time than they did in the rain at night.

"Bellatrix, what are we doing?"

The older witch was peeking around the corner of the house at Mr Malfoy, who was now surrounded by at least ten huge white peacocks.

"Come here." She motioned with her hand without looking behind her.

Hermione approached slowly, feeling regrettably like she was being involved in crime.

"Watch this."

Hermione peeked around the corner at the scene right as Bellatrix muttered a spell, flicking her wand at the sky above Lucius' head. A pale, almost translucent orb shot silently into the sky above the crowd of oblivious, munching peacocks, stayed still for a few seconds, and then _BANG_ , exploded with the sound like every pot and pan in London falling onto the floor at once.

Grain flew up into the air, and Mr Malfoy fell onto his behind immediately- looking to Hermione rather like he might need resuscitation- until he realised the peacocks, now with their tail feathers up and splayed, very much blamed him for the noise. He jumped to his feet at a run, the grain bag flying high into the air behind him, great white birds squawking and hissing their feathers at him as they chased him onto the patio and around the other side of the house.

"What in the _world!"_ Narcissa's furious shouts could be heard from the open kitchen windows, and Hermione felt herself jerked quickly away from the scene by her arm as a howling Bellatrix pulled her into apparition.

When they reappeared, Bellatrix had to use a lamp post to support herself.

"Did you see his face?" She gasped between laughs.

"I think you nearly killed him, Bellatrix."

"Oh, that'll be the day." The older witch sighed wistfully, still leaning against the lamp post, the smile still lingering on her lips.

"Stupid birds, serves him right." She mumbled. "Come along, then. Put your hood up and let's get inside before we're captured and killed."

"No need to be cheerful." Hermione said as they reached the Granger's front door.

Bellatrix reached out and knocked whilst Hermione watched with a funny look on her face.

"You know, I used to have nightmares about this exact situation." She said, dryly.

"What? Bringing me home to introduce me to your parents?"

Hermione fixed the older witch with a sarcastic look. "About you knocking on my parent's door."

Bellatrix frowned. "Seems kind of a tame nightmare. Was the door on fire, or-"

"Hermione!" The door had opened and Jean Granger was peering out from behind. Beaming, she opened the door more fully and stepped aside to let them in, not knowing how grateful for it they really were.

"Well, this _is_ a surprise! Why aren't you in school? Pete- Peter! Hermione's here!" She shouted over her shoulder into the house. "Oh, and who is this?" Jean Granger asked with a nervous smile at the intimidating looking woman at her daughter's side.

"This is Bellatrix. She's uh, a friend." Hermione said quickly before Bellatrix could say anything. The younger witch still wasn't quite sure of Bellatrix's feelings on this situation.

"Oh- ah… from _your_ world?" Miss Granger said delicately, still speaking to Hermione but, looking meekly up at the death eater who just smiled briefly at her, guarding any true emotion.

"Yes. Well. Not really. But yes, in the way you mean."

"Well, any friend of Hermione's-"

"'Mione!" Her dad's far deeper voice cut through the conversation in the fuzzy warm hallway as he thumped down the stairs, grinning broadly as he reached the bottom.

"Not skiving, are you?" He asked conspiratorially, poking her in her ribs.

Hermione just laughed and swatted his hand away.

"And you must be Bellatrix." He said suddenly, looking up at Bellatrix with a polite smile.

Bellatrix's head turned very slowly to fix Hermione with an unreadable look. The Gryffindor was staring at Mr Granger like a rabbit in the headlights.

"Well! Standing here all night's not going to get us anywhere, come in, come in." Mr Granger announced loudly, before Bellatrix could either confirm or deny his declaration.

The Grangers filed down the hall and out of sight as Hermione looked up at Bellatrix with a wince.

"Well, first I'm not from the same planet, now I'm famous." Bellatrix said, in a tone that suggested Hermione owed her answers.

"I may have mentioned you to him once. And I didn't say you were from a different planet, I just meant that in terms of upbringing…"

Bellatrix raised her eyebrows and shook her head slightly for Hermione to continue.

"In terms of upbringing, no, we're not from the same world."

"We're from exactly the same world, you just didn't know it."

"Either way, I was brought up like this, you were brought up… like…you were."

Bellatrix's eyes were wondering across the photo-lined walls and she started to wonder after the Grangers. "Swap you." She mumbled, still apparently enwrapped in her surroundings.

Hermione stood in stunned silence for a moment, before shaking her head, and assuming she hadn't heard correctly.

"So, what is it that you do in the wizard world?" Mrs Granger asked once they were all seated in the living room, looking at Bellatrix only slightly less unsettled than before.

Hermione snorted and smirked into her mug of fruit tea. "Bella's got too much money to be counting to have time for work."

"And _black_ , too, said the raven of the crow." Bellatrix muttered under her breath, not looking at Hermione.

She had a point, Hermione realised. Her fortune wasn't separated from the Black fortune by even one zero.

"Doesn't sound bad." Mr Granger chuckled, ignoring Bellatrix's comment.

"What's got you here, then, Hermione?" He asked, leaning back in his chair. "Not that your mother and I aren't happy to see you, of course." He added quickly.

Hermione swallowed hard at the addition. "I- I have something I need to tell you." She stuttered after a few seconds.

Bellatrix snapped her head up to look at the brunette. She didn't realise she was intending to have _that_ conversation.

"Oh? Well, go ahead." Mrs Granger said, ever kindly.

Hermione did that, all right. Starting at the beginning and sparing very few details- except of course, the boggart and the mirror- Hermione told her parents everything. By the time she had gotten to the events leading up to her visit that day, they had been sitting in the living room for over an hour, and as aware as Bellatrix was that this wasn't something to be hurried, she was getting restless. She just didn't trust how quiet it was as she stared out of the window into the empty street.

"I just want you to know, that… Well, you're still my parents, regardless. You did everything for me, and I'm just sorry this is all happening."

Hermione went quiet and the Grangers went quiet too.

"Oh, Hermione." Jean sighed eventually. "Of course you'll always be our daughter. And we'll always be mum and dad. I can't say it isn't a lot to take in, and the _gall_ of that McGonagall… Well. It's done now. But you are safe, aren't you? With the Malfoy's, I mean."

"She's safe." Bellatrix said heavily, not looking away from the window.

Mrs Granger looked at a loss. "Well, Hermione, you were very brave to tell us. Your father and I appreciate it very much, even if we wish it weren't true. How about some more tea, mm?" She asked getting to her feet just for the sake of doing something.

"I think I'm going to go upstairs and get a few of my left over clothes. All the rest of them are at Hogwarts."

Her father smiled and got up to follow Jean into the kitchen. "Let me know if you want me to get a bag down from the loft." He offered as he passed her.

Hermione nodded and looked back to Bellatrix. Her hands were still shaking, but overall she was happy with the outcome.

"Are you okay here for a minute? We wont be too much longer." She added, equally aware of how strange it was that no aurors had shown up.

Bellatrix just dipped her head.

Upstairs, everything was as Hermione had left it. She was shovelling some of her clothes into a hand luggage bag when the was a tap at the door.

"Knock knock." Her dad said quietly, peering around the door frame gingerly.

"Hi dad." Hermione said, a shirt folded over one arm.

"So. Bellatrix. That was unexpected." He said, sitting down on the edge of her bed.

Hermione hadn't been completely truthful with Bellatrix earlier. She had told her dad all about Bellatrix, the Malfoys, Voldemort, the whole lot. Her dad was child-like in his excitement about magical things, and so every time she visited she updated him with the chronicles of her life at Hogwarts, including the Department of Mysteries.

"You can say that again." Hermione said quietly.

"But she's alright, though?"

"She's actually the closest thing to a friend I have there. Still not a witch you'd want to cross, though."

Pete nodded and looked about the bedroom. "I don't suppose, uh, y'know. Since you're technically over 18 now…" He trailed off, wanting to lighten the mood.

Hermione smiled with her back turned to him. She pulled her wand from her sleeve, levitated a pair of jeans, and plopped them down into her bag with a soft huffing sound.

Pete Granger was grinning from ear to ear. He had been waiting for what felt like forever to see real magic, and magic performed by Hermione at that, but the restrictions on her as an under-age witch had meant he had never seen so much as a lumos.

"Wow, do it again!" He pleaded, looking like an excitable puppy.

Hermione laughed, but rather than levitating more clothes, she used the bird charm she had attacked Ron with once to make tiny birds fly around the room. She transfigured a sock into mouse- which Pete quickly caught and put into a box- and put beauty charms on the furniture to make it all look new, she even opened the window up and shot a huge stream of water out over the rose bushes, as her father laughed and clapped beside her.

Finally, after having gone through all the indoor-appropriate spells she could think of, the pair sank back down onto her bed, giggling.

"Usually I'd offer to tell you a story about our world, but I don't think I have the time." Hermione said, sighing.

"I think the magic more than made up for that." Pete reassured her.

"There's far better magic than that," Hermione said, "But I don't want to risk taking any walls out."

Bellatrix hadn't moved when the pair made their way down stairs, but did seem to be engaging in conversation with Mrs Granger. They both looked up as Hermione stood in the door way.

"Time to go, is it?" Jean asked, sadly.

Bellatrix stood up silently in the background. "Well, be sure to write, wont you? You know we always love to hear from you."

"I will, mum, don't worry."

Mrs Granger seemed a little happier after hearing the word 'mum'.

"Alright, well- Pete did you water the rose bushes?" Mrs Granger cut herself off as she peered out of the open front door and across the garden. It was evening time, now, and just as quiet as before.

"Oh, no, that was Hermione." He grinned.

Jean shrugged and hugged her daughter and Peter did the same.

"See you soon?"

"Definitely." Hermione smiled, clutching her luggage in one hand and Bellatrix's arm in the other.

"Oh, and Bellatrix- thank you."

Bellatrix nodded her head, and in a second, they were gone.


	7. A Death In The Afternoon

**A/N: It's a slightly shorter one, guys, but it's the start of the real story. Also, for anyone who might wonder, a 'Death In The Afternoon' is an infamously strong cocktail invented by Ernest Hemingway. Champagne and Absinthe. 11/10 would recommend. Little sips, though.**

 **Moving on.**

-X-

"All over my lawn, Bellatrix Back, grain everywhere, Lucius is covered in claw marks, I mean _really_ -"

"Cissa, I don't know what you're talking about, I really don't."

"Oh, put it back in the deck." Narcissa muttered, ceasing her arguments anyway. "And what took you so long? I was starting to think you'd been caught."

"That was my fault. I was talking to my parents." Hermione said guiltily.

Narcissa seemed to relent at that. "Well. At least it's done now. All went well?"

"It was fine, do you think we could come in now?" Bellatrix said irritably, the two women still standing on the door step as Narcissa with her hands on both hips blocked the way inside completely.

The blonde sighed. "Against my better judgement." She said under her breath, stepping aside and letting them past.

Hermione filed in first, Bellatrix close behind her.

"So, where were we- oh, yes, the mirror." Bellatrix said, throwing her cloak back onto the hook.

Hermione groaned. "You promised you wouldn't bring it up."

"No, I promised I would _try_ not to bring it back up."

"Well any time you feel like doing that..."

"I did try! It's been a whole-" Bellatrix leaned back to look at the clock in the hall. "Two hours and nineteen minutes."

Hermione sighed. "Maybe tomorrow."

"Oh, and you have mail waiting Bellatrix, I left it in the library. Bastard of a bird that delivered it, better have been worth the bites." Narcissa added, as she stalked past them into the conservatory.

"Popular?" Hermione asked, not having seen Bellatrix receive mail before.

"Not if I can help it."

Hermione followed Bellatrix through to the library and plopped down onto a sofa whilst Bellatrix stood half turned away from her, pulling the wax off the the roll of parchment.

She seemed to read it over a few times in her head before reading aloud;

 _Miss Black._

 _I wish a meet with my student on the night of the 18th._

 _I will be alone, I implore the two of you to employ a similar courtesy._

At the bottom was Minerva's name, an address for an inn, and a time.

"This is obviously a trap." Hermione said, wondering what on earth the headmistress was thinking.

"It's the 18th today. In half an hour."

Hermione look alarmed at the death eater's considering tone. "We can't actually go, Bellatrix. I don't want to be anywhere near her, there's nothing she could say to me to change my view of her."

"Look. She's put this in, too..."

Hermione craned her neck as Bellatrix held up a small document.

"What is it?"

"Basically the written version of an unbreakable vow that she will 'come alone'."

"What about the ministry? That document could be fake."

"Mmm, but the way I hear it, she's trying to keep ministry involvement to a minimum. This is personal for her now, she doesn't want anyone else to swoop in and do her out of the pleasure of getting you herself. Besides, we have the means to test this here. It would take a few days, but she knows that we could do it, there would be little point in sending a fake when it would be so easily discovered."

"What? Hang on, why is it personal? What have I ever done to her?" Hermione was, once again, livid at the thought of the woman.

"Nothing. Her anger isn't really aimed at you, it's me she's potentially pissed with. I killed her bastard husband a long time ago and she's hounded me ever since." Bellatrix sighed and rubbed her eyes, letting the letter fall to the table. "I think she sees this as an opportunity to make me suffer. That might be what this meeting is all about, actually, to see if it really is me that's taken you in. If she deems us close enough she'll use this as an excuse to get to me, too. Two birds, and all that. I can just see it _eating_ at her that I'm involved in all of this."

Bellatrix smirked slightly.

Hermione was trying not to seem unsettled. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you kill her husband?"

Bellatrix hesitated. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Bella."

"Hermione."

"Just a brief summary?"

"He overstepped a line." Bellatrix snapped.

Hermione retreated from her questioning, feeling like that was far enough to push it.

"Okay... Well, either way, it seems like if we go all we can achieve is making this worse. Unless there's some upside I'm not seeing to all this?"

"We could kill her."

"I-" Hermione stopped, realising that that was a genuine suggestion.

"It's not a bad idea." Bellatrix defended with a shrug.

"I don't think that would be a good move."

"Why not? At the very least we could go and try to work out what her end game is with all this, other wise you'll be trapped here forever with the not-knowing."

She had a point.

"Couldn't we just write back? I still think this is a trap." Hermione argued weakly.

Bellatrix sat down beside her.

"First sign of trouble and we apparate out." Bellatrix said firmly.

Hermione's face twisted as she tried not to agree to what she was sure was a suicide mission.

"What if the place is full of Aurors?"

"First sign of trouble."

 _Christ_.

-X-

"Minerva."

"Bellatrix."

"Hermione!" Hermione muttered sarcastically as the two witches glared at each other, throwing her cloak onto the table. Minerva turned to fix her glare on the young witch and Bellatrix put her hand gently on the small of the girls back, more out of protective instinct than the feeling that Minerva would actually be stupid enough to attack _both_ of them.

"Did you want an autograph?" Bellatrix asked acerbically when Minerva made no move to look away.

The headmistress glowered for a few seconds more and then stalked to her stool on the other side of Bellatrix without another word.

Hermione realised that she was still exceptionally nervous. The fear she felt was almost drowned out by her rational side telling her it was probably needless, and that one of the most powerful witch's in the world was between her and her old headmistress, but it was still enough to make her hands tremble. At the same time, she realised that the warmth of Bellatrix's hand was still firmly on her back.

The death eater watched the spot where minerva had been standing from her peripherals for a moment, before letting go of Hermione and sitting on her stool without so much as a glance at either of them.

The bartender half turned as he dried a glass with a white towel and looked at the three expectantly.

Hermione went first. "Cranberry."

"Gin and tonic." Minerva followed, giving Hermione a snotty look. "A _real_ drin-"

"I'll have a Death In The Afternoon." Bellatrix said loudly, abruptly and altogether too sweetly. She smiled at the bar tender who just nodded, giving the silenced group a sideways look before leaving to fetch more glasses.

"How are your parents- sorry, the _Grangers_ , Hermione. I saw you had a visit with them earlier."

"What do you want, Minerva?" Bellatrix asked, angrily. No wonder there had been no Aurors, Minerva had been there watching them herself. "This isn't a social, so get it over with."

"Quite right. Very well. Bellatrix, I'm here to demand that you release Miss _Granger_ to the ministry at once. If you release her now, we are willing to forget your involvement."

Bellatrix squinted. "Oooh, that's a tempting offer, but I think I'll have to decline. Next."

Minerva gave the death eater a look enough to pierce concrete.

"Bellatrix, I suggest you comply."

"You've been saying that to me since I was 12, Minerva, have you not learned anything?"

"Apparently not." She growled. "As you wish, Bellatrix, I gave you a chance."

Bellatrix's eyes were suddenly narrowed, following the bar tender suspiciously as he stepped out from behind the bar to place their drinks in front of them from over their shoulders, rather than just putting them down on the counter top. First he put down Beatrix's, then Minerva's, then-

"Hermione-" Bellatrix shouted. But it was too late. Whatever Minerva had hit her with in the time it had taken her to call out caught her right in the back of the head, and Bellatrix fell to the floor without another word.

"Bella!" Hermione screamed, struggling against the bar tender's strong arm that was hooked around her throat, dragging her backwards and away from where Bella laid motionlessly on the floor. Stars popped around her vision and with the dark witch framed in looming unconsciousness' vignette, Hermione fought desperately not to give out.

Minerva drew her wand and turned her back on her ex student, advancing on where Bellatrix lay defenceless.

 _Bella_...

Minerva aimed her wand and with a burst of renewed energy, Hermione wrenched her way free of the mans grip, elbowed him hard in the nose and drew her own wand.

"Bombarda Maxima!" She shouted, feeling a wave of nausea go through her with the sudden rush of blood to the head as the spell shot from the end of her wand.

Minerva's body crunched against the cold stone walls of the inn and then slumped onto the floor, blood pouring from beyond her hair line and her nose. She didn't move, and for a few seconds, the world went still, and slow. Every thought and every sound felt dull and heavy like someone tapping on the outside of a fishbowl whilst she lay under the water.

Hermione stared at what she had just done.

Shafts of dust fell from the ceiling as the splash effect of the spell cracked the ceiling and the beams above them and Hermione's eyes drifted up to them in slow motion, unaware of the man about to grab her head from behind her until he already had. He yanked her head sideways hard, but before he could apply enough pressure to break her neck, his hands were suddenly gone, and Hermione hit the ground hard, her ears screaming a high pitched tone and her vision swaying violently. Just as she wondered if she was going to die, the ground came away from under her, and the suddenness of the motion finally forced her to pass out completely.


	8. Mortalibus Orbes

_"_ _And all who heard should see them there,_

 _and all should cry, beware! Beware!_

 _His flashing eyes, his floating hair!_

 _Weave a circle 'round him thrice,_

 _and close your eyes with holy dread,_

 _for he on honey-dew hath fed,_

 _and drunk the milk of paradise."_

 _~Kubla Khan_

"I thought you said she had vowed to come alone?"

"She did come alone. The bar tender was already there."

"She was cutting it a bit fine with meaning, don't you think? Considering the consequences if the vow deems itself broken."

"If she wanted to debase herself with word games, that was her business."

"Well it looks rather like our business now, doesn't it. The girl won't even eat, Bella, you need to do something-"

"Do what? She's not a girl, she's an adult, I'm not going to treat her like she's at day care. Leave her be, she'll be fine with time, I was."

"Bellatrix, you were hardly the poster child for soundness of mind, even then."

"Cissa i'm supposed to be crazy, not stupid, leave her _be_."

From under the door, Hermione listened blankly as the two sisters bickered over her, Bellatrix blocking the door and Narcissa desperately trying to pry her way past her.

She had spent every day like this, staring blankly into the middle distance, ignoring everything and everyone, with the exception of Bellatrix who had a few times managed to get her to respond with one word answers when it was obvious the worry was mounting. She hadn't eaten all week save for half an apple Narcissa had completely insisted upon, and even that Bellatrix couldn't be sure if she had thrown back up, or really eaten at all since no one had actually seen her eat it. She awoke every night with a shrill scream and then sobbed for hours until she fell back into a hollow sleep that left her feeling more exhausted than when she had gone to bed.

Bellatrix was at a loss.

The first time she had killed someone, in comparison, had been like water off a duck's back; she had thought about it for a few days after with a troubled look in her dark eyes, but then it had just faded away.

It was unfortunate timing that the Dark Lord, back from his various business, chose that time to summon Hermione to speak with him.

"Hermione. Take a seat. I hear there has been great turbulence following your discovery."

Whilst she had followed Narcissa through the house in a daze, Hermione was immediately jolted out of it at the sight of Voldemort in the flesh, and scrambled to make her mouth say something after being silent for so long.

"Minerva wasn't happy." She said simply, the understatement of the century. The name made her feel sick.

The Dark Lord chuckled humourlessly. "Ah, they never are when they're outsmarted. Tell me, what are your plans?" Hermione knew that he really meant to ask who's side was she settling on with regards to the war.

"I don't really have any. I'm just following Bellatrix around." Honesty, whilst the best policy, she realised, didn't make her seem any less of a loser.

Voldemort seemed to disagree. "Ah, wonderful, you should find no better teacher. Narcissa commented that the two of you had grown quite close."

Hermione blushed. "Uh, yeah, she's… nice." _Hermione, were you born with your foot in your mouth?_

He seemed to find this comment the best yet. "I shall be sure to pass your high praise along to her next time we meet. You've had no problem with your inheritance, I trust?"

"No…" Hermione trailed off thinking about the paintings she was still so unsure about.

"Have you settled upon a name?"

"I… I was going to use Alistaire for this world and Granger for… the other." Her heart almost stopped dead in her chest when she remembered who she was speaking to but the Dark Lord didn't seem to mind the muggle world being brought up in the least.

"A fair call. We can discuss this in more detail at a later date. For now, though, I believe Master Draco is waiting for you at the door."

Hermione glanced behind her. "Oh-"

Voldemort dipped his head. "Go with him, I shall call upon you again soon."

Hermione nodded and thanked him and hurried from the room. She was sure that entire situation was going to catch up with her later and give her morals hell, but for now, she was going to enjoy the inner silence.

Draco _was_ waiting for her. "Oh, there you are. Come on, we're going to Borgin and Burkes."

"I-"

"Don't panic, Bellatrix is coming, too- in fact, she's already there."

"I wasn't _panicking_." Hermione huffed sulkily.

Draco held his hands up. "Whatever you say, I'll believe. Cloak?"

Hermione didn't have time to answer before he threw it at her. She caught it and wrapped it around her shoulders quickly.

"Why are we going to that damned shop?"

"I thought you would have been glad of the excuse to get out of the house. Your girlfriend was."

"My- She is _not_ my girlfriend!"

Draco laughed. "HA! And I'm not naturally blonde. Last one to the shop is a Blast-Ended Skrewt."

Hermione tried to hit his shoulder but he was already gone. She groaned loudly and followed suit, hoping that Draco kept his mouth shut around Bellatrix.

The shop was just as it had always been. Dark, dingy, full of unnecessarily creepy objects. Draco looked particularly pleased with himself when she finally made her appearance.

"I think that makes you a Blast-Ended Skrewt, if I remember rightly."

Hermione rolled her eyes and Bellatrix scowled at him over a monkey paw in a tall jar.

When Hermione moved closer to her- and, of course, when Bellatrix wasn't looking- Draco pulled a face and held his fingers up in a heart shape, squinting at the two of them through it.

Hermione gave him a withering stare and slashed her fingers across her throat at him in a silent threat. He sniggered, and resorted to just giving her knowing looks whenever Bellatrix spoke.

It went on for nearly half an hour as Bellatrix negotiated with the simpering owner, before a loud smash made Draco hit his head on the inside of the wardrobe he was peering into, Bellatrix draw her wand, and Borgin to almost soil himself at the sight.

"Merlin's balls, Hermione!" Bellatrix sighed, putting her wand away as she saw the smashed vase around the younger witch's feet.

But Hermione was staring out of the darkened windows in shock.

"Hermione?" Bellatrix picked her way across the shop to stand beside her and peer out of the window.

"I saw her!" The brunette cried. "In the apothecary, she just walked right out of the door!"

"What? Saw who?" Draco had come to join them to see what the fuss was about.

"Minerva! I swear, she was right there!"

"Hermione…" Bellatrix's tone was sympathetic enough that Draco was instantly mocking Hermione with more hearts behind the death eater's back.

"Draco, I will _end_ you." The Gryffindor hissed, much to Bellatrix's confusion as she turned around to see him standing perfectly casually.

"Hermione, I really doubt you saw Minerva-"

Draco tried to stop himself in time, but it was too late; Bellatrix had her eyes narrowed at him through his reflection in the glass and he cleared his throat sheepishly and pretended he had just been trying to sort his hair out.

"Putting a pin in what I just saw," Bellatrix growled before turning her attention back to Hermione, "Hermione Minerva's…" She sighed.

"Minerva's what?" Draco piped up, apparently already over the experience that would have put greater men into cardiac arrest.

"Minerva's- never you mind. Make yourself useful and go and hurry that fool up."

The blonde looked put off at the fact he wasn't in on the gossip but did as he was told anyway. Disobedience made Bellatrix unpredictable.

"Minerva's dead." Bellatrix finished finally, once Draco was out of earshot.

Hermione was still staring out of the window. "I was _sure_ …"

-X-

Four days after Hermione had accidentally killed Minerva, and a letter arrived which made Bellatrix both immensely happy but equally worried.

Hermione had stood up suddenly with a loud cry of 'what?!', scaring the daylights out of Narcissa as she went, then given the letter over to Bellatrix, making her first eye contact since the trip to Borgin and Burkes.

Bellatrix had read it hastily, on edge by the silence from the outside world- no one had yet breathed a word in the papers or in the streets about the death of Minerva McGonagall and Bellatrix didn't like it one bit- but had to read it over again after her brain jarred over the words the first time.

"Hermione.

Sorry we took so long to write back. Minerva disappeared a few days ago and a supply was drafted in- overly friendly wizard called 'Louix Pendlebury Shrub IX' (can you believe there's been nine of them called that?)- and he's been making us go to all these after class 'parties'. So far it's just been him telling us strange stories about magical farming and the restrictions on farming legendary creatures- Ron swears he's not going to the next one- but it's meant there's been no time for writing.

Anyhow, Minerva arrived back at the castle about five minutes ago, still the oncoming storm she's been since you left- but then suddenly had a huge tiff with Professor Shrub in front of the whole dining hall. He assures us it's nothing but the look on her face when she saw him.

I suppose this is all silly school stuff to you, but I thought I'd do my best-friendly duty and keep you informed on the gossip.

As far as Bellatrix goes, I was angry at first but then Ginny reminded me- happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light. Good old Dumbledore.

And she's right, I don't know Bellatrix, but I do know you, and I'll sooner trust your judgement than Rita Skeeter's. Sirius... well, we'll talk about it in detail when I see you. Until then, I'm upholding the assumption that whilst you have rather a lot of explaining to do, you can actually explain it, and that you will.

Ron agrees (I think he's still sulking a bit over everything but he'll get over it eventually, I'm sure the mountain of gold you donated to the family helps a lot, she told me to tell you thank you and that she wants to see you as soon as she can, prepare to be smothered), but remember not everyone's as readily tolerant as we are so maybe don't tell anyone else. Sorry. That must sound patronising. Anyway.

You should go and see your parents, even if they're just a portrait. I wish _my_ parents had portraits.

I have to go, Minerva is hollering down the hall way at someone outside, and I have a feeling we're all in for a visit.

I'll write again when I can.

Love from Harry.

P.S. I mean you do live with him now. Maybe if you made friends with him, he'd stop being such a tosser at school. And how come he gets to spend weekends at home? We've been dying to know how he gets away with it."

"I told you I saw her!"

Bellatrix looked back up at Hermione. "Are you _sure_ you killed her?"

Hermione scrambled to think. "No of course I'm not sure, you said you checked."

"I did, she was dead, I thought..."

Bellatrix lapsed into the same shocked silence as Hermione and Narcissa looked to and from them both, trying to work out what was going on.

"Minerva's alive?" The blonde guessed.

"Appeared back in Hogwarts a few hours ago around dinner time, looking at it. The letter is dated today."

"Then she can't have been dead."

"But she was, Cissa, I checked."

"Then it can't have been her."

Bellatrix thought for a moment before shouting. "SEVERUS. SEVERUS, GET DOWN HERE."

It was a minute or two before Severus pushed the library door open, clearly woken up, and fixed Bellatrix with a steely look.

"Yes." He hissed slowly.

"Is there a potion which can mimic death?"

"Living Death?"

"No, something more advanced, something that could stop the heart but keep the drinker alive."

"If the three of you are reading Romeo and Juliet down here, I must remind you it was written by a muggle before the invention of _toilets_ -"

"Minerva was killed in a fight on the night of the 18th and now she's walking around Hogwarts."

"Minerva? I'm sorry to tell you this Bellatrix, but Minerva and I spent the 'night of the 18th' in a long and tedious meeting with the board of governors. I had to go in place of Lucius after certain _bird_ -related injuries left him in greater need of rest."

"So if it wasn't her, then who was it?" Hermione was starting to feel faint.

"She was there too long for it to have been polyjuice."

"So what, there's more than one of her?"

Bellatrix turned back to Severus. "Is _that_ possible?"

"Bellatrix, you're sitting in one of the most expansive libraries in the country, why are you asking _me_?"

-X-

"Look, it says they're only capable of limited conversation and social interaction. The Minerva we met _was_ a little blunt in conversation." Bellatrix had been pouring through the pages of the book on the table for hours.

Hermione was standing behind her, reading from over her shoulder.

"So you think Minerva created a copy of herself to lure us out to our deaths whilst the real her was in a meeting with a load of respected witches and wizards, forming a perfect alibi should she be seen? I only killed a clone?"

Bellatrix leaned back in her seat. "It does sound like something she'd do. It's a type of transfiguration spell, after all, it's one she'd be likely to know about. As for the fight, As pre-occupied as I was with getting you out of there, I'm sure I wasn't mistaken. I'm 99% sure she was dead."

"Okay... Then next question, what if she made more than one-" Hermione pointed at the bottom of the page. "It says a very advanced witch or wizard can produce a maximum of three before the spell no longer responds. And once the copies are in existence, they're like real people, they can bleed, and cry, they just can't do the mental stuff. If I only killed one clone, there could be another two out there."

"And if she's able to continue on at Hogwarts as usual, then she could sent one of these things at any time, to do whatever she wants without the risk of getting any blame." Bellatrix looked like she might put a knife through the pages.

"'Upon death, a magical copy will last anywhere up to an hour depending on the skill of the conjurer before it disintegrates. No body. That would explain why it never hit the news."

There was a long silence and suddenly; "We need to get out of here."

Hermione immediately felt sick. "What? And go where? Do what?"

"Retreat, garrison ourselves in and dare her to come to us."

"Can't we do that here?" Hermione's anxiety wanted nothing to do with the plan that involved leaving the house.

"Not with my sister and nephew in the house."

The younger witch slumped onto the sofa and wished it was all a dream that she could wake up from.

"Are you sure… it all seems a bit much. Maybe she really was there in person and she just survived."

"Is that a chance you're willing to take?"

Hermione didn't answer, just stared glumly at the floor.

Bellatrix sighed. "Alright, look; we'll go somewhere else, and if nothing happens after five days we'll come back and think of something else. But Minerva's not a patient woman, she won't wait long to make her next move and I don't want to be here when that happens."

Hermione supposed she couldn't argue with that.

"Fine. Five days."

Bellatrix stood. "I'm going to go and tell the mother-dragon - if you hear screaming, promise you'll come and help me fend her off."

Hermione couldn't help but smile. "Not a chance in hell."

 **A/N: Keeping you on your toes; author's note at the end. The extract from Kubla Khan always reminds me of Voldemort feeding on the unicorn, the mention of thrice, like the trio, and the first two lines, of the effect the dark mark had on the masses. However, it's the source of inspiration for Minerva's character in this fic, which will become more apparent very soon.**

 **On another note, y'all are lucky this was posted at all; my wonderful mother had the thought to come and remind me FIVE TIMES on five different occasions whilst trying to write this chapter of how poor my writing is and how I'll never be anything and went on and on long enough each time that I closed my mac and retreated to bed to cry like a two year old. Life is really getting on top of me at an out-of-hand rate at the moment so if I do disappear, I may be on psych ward for a little while BUT I WILL COME BACK I PROMISE.**

 **I love you all, you're all babes.**

 **I binge read all your reviews when I'm miserable, please don't think I don't read them because I never have time to reply to each one- I swear I'm going to start getting better at doing that.**

 **Okay rant over. As you were. *cough***


	9. Among The Dead

**A/N; And for my next trick, marvel in wonder as I… REAPPEAR. And without a six year wait. Ladies and Gentlement, hold your applause, please…**

"Quaint."

Hermione looked up through the trees and to the pale orange evening sky overhead. They were standing before a nice sized wood-panel colonial style house surrounded by trees and just a field away from a cliffside.

There was a thick fog hanging in the air from the sea and a small hand built stone wall that separated the garden from an over grown graveyard on one side. It was unremarkable, with all the usual traits of headstones and brambles, the most interesting thing a stone doorway built into the incline of the grass that Hermione guessed was some kind of crypt.

"Where are we?"

Bellatrix wrestled her hair over one shoulder as the breeze blew strands of it across her face. "Rural Ireland. Wizarding community is strong here."

"North or South?"

"Northwest."

Hermione sighed. "I don't suppose there's another human within a fifty mile radius?"

"There's a whole field of them right over there if you're not fussy about what state they're in." Bellatrix said, motioning towards the graveyard.

"Very funny." Hermione rolled he eyes.

"Come on, I'm freezing." The older witch set off towards the house, up the white wooden steps and then turned around when she reached the front door. "Unless you wanted to pitch a tent for yourself?"

Hermione did _not_ want to pitch a tent for herself, and hurried after the death eater.

"So," Hermione said as the door closed behind them. "Does, you know… _He_ know where you are?"

"Hm? Oh. He knows we've left to deal with the Minerva problem, if that's what you mean." Bellatrix sank down onto a sofa and sighed.

"You know, the last time I visited this house Narcissa was four years old and she fell out of a tree. Broke her wrist."

Hermione curled up in the other corner of the sofa. "What the hell was she doing up a tree?"

"Getting away with it is what she was doing. If I had tried to climb a tree when I was her age I would have been chased down the hallways with a belt." Bellatrix smirked.

"Seems a little harsh. I climbed trees when I was little. Never broke any bones doing it but I did dislocate my hip one time. Never really wanted to climb much after that."

" _You_ came from a family where your happiness was the priority. I come from a family in which my 'eligibility' was far more important." Bellatrix mocked the word eligibility like it was the bane of her existence.

"Sounds, uh…"

"Fucking dreadful?" Bellatrix finished for her.

"Yeah that about sums it up."

It was quiet for a few minutes before Bellatrix got back up. "I'm going to take a shower and go to bed. Take whichever room you want, there's enough of them. I think Cissy sent some food over with our clothes if you want some."

Hermione nodded and whilst Bellatrix went upstairs, she went to see what Narcissa had sent.

Out of what she found she picked a golden coloured pear, and sat on the kitchen counter top eating it with a knife. Above her she could hear the shower running and Hermione's mind flickered back to the mirror for the first time in what felt like forever. She remembered how her back had hit the wall and she had struggled for breath as Bellatrix pulled her blouse off and the way the other witch's hair had caught and tangled with her own.

 _Ugh, stop._

As the days went by, the subtle but growing attraction to the other witch was becoming more and more difficult to push down and ignore. Bellatrix had given her a break about the mirror incident even without a proper explanation of it, although Hermione had noticed the Death Eater looking at her through her eyelashes with an almost-smile on several occasions when it was assumed the Gryffindor was too absorbed in what she was doing to notice. Hermione had never been brave enough to meet her gaze when that happened, keeping her head down with her heart beating too fast for fear the dark witch was imminently about to bring the whole thing back up and she would have to confess in full colour rather than morse code.

The shower above her stopped and Hermione threw the core of her pear away, hopping down from the counter and drying pear juice from her hand on a towel.

She slowly pushed herself up the stairs with her head down. When she reached the top she cast a glance back over her shoulder and then set her mind to find the shower now that Bellatrix was done. She turned around as she walked forward and yelped as her face came inches away from something white and soft.

"Spacial awareness, Hermione." Bellatrix said as she jerked away from the confused witch.

The Gryffindor blushed as she realised Bellatrix was wrapped in a fluffy white towel which ended half way down her thighs. Her hair was dried, magically Hermione assumed, but beads of water still clung delicately to her collarbone and around her shoulders.

"Sorry." She blurted, hoping Bellatrix hasn't noticed the heat rising in her cheeks.

She rushed past the other woman and locked herself in the bathroom, clearing her head and turning the shower back on. It was still wet from when Bellatrix had turned it off and even that was enough to start Hermione's mind off once more.

As soon as she was out of the shower, Hermione dried her own hair and, not wanting to be caught in a compromising position in the hallway, put the clothes on she had been wearing before.

She collapsed into bed in the first room she had found after an awkward goodnight to Bellatrix and despite all the thoughts swirling around uncomfortably in her head, fell asleep relatively quickly.

Her dreams were no better than they had been for the rest of the week and true to form Hermione woke up in a cold sweat with a yell.

She felt guilt creep up on her when Bellatrix pushed the door open.

"Sorry." She said immediately.

"You apologise too much." The older woman said firmly.

"Argh…" Hermione put her face in her hands. "I'm so tired. I just want to sleep for once."

Bellatrix leaned against the door frame and looked pensively at the carpet. "Well… I have sleeping potion, but… It might be a bit _strong_ for someone that's not used to it."

"If I never wake back up then that's just an extra problem solved." Hermione sighed.

"Don't say that." The other woman scolded.

"Sorry." Hermione realised too late she was apologising again and Bellatrix laughed with a soft exhalation.

"I'll let you have some if you promise to stop saying that." She turned away and disappeared from sight and Hermione let herself fall back against the pillows with a quiet thud.

She was too tired even to berate herself.

"Catch."

The Gryffindor turned to look at the door and instinctively raised her hands as a small glass phial flew towards her. She caught it and pulled out the little cork. It smelled like Lavender.

"Thanks." She said weakly.

"Just hope it doesn't poison you." Bellatrix joked. "See you tomorrow." She closed the door and Hermione eyed the potion uncertainly, half wondering why Bellatrix had it with her to begin with.

She mentally shrugged and downed it in one, setting the phial down on the night stand. It tasted like Palma Violets but she didn't have long to dwell on it.

-X-

By the time Hermione awoke the next day, the sky was orange once more.

"Bella, what time is it?" Hermione trudged down the stairs after brushing her hair and teeth and pulling on her muggle jeans and a jumper.

"About half past seven. I warned you that potion was strong, it was nearly six when you drank it."

Hermione sighed and let her wand clatter onto the table. She did at least feel rested, if groggy.

"What the hell was in it? I didn't even dream."

"You'll have to ask Severus- and that is rather the point."

"I thought the point was to sleep."

"Well, it was designed for an ex Azkaban-ee, there were some modifications. Anyway, glad you're up, I've been waiting all day for you to rise, I need to go and get food; Narcissa only provided for a day or two. I'll be half an hour tops. Try not to get yourself killed whilst I'm gone."

Hermione yawned and leaned against the book case. "I'll do my best."

Bellatrix smiled and left, and the brunette picked a book from the shelf and took it back upstairs to read. It was on the practical applications of Herbology in the care of common magical creatures, and Hermione couldn't help but reminisce over Hagrid's lessons, freeing Buckbeak and the awful skrewts they'd had to raise as their own. How she wished she could go back to that.

After ten minutes of browsing, the brunette was pulled out of her thoughts as a noise from downstairs caught her attention.

 _Hm. She didn't take long._ The Gryffindor put her book down and sat up, running a hand through her hair.

"Bella?" She called, wondering if whatever she was doing down there would have benefitted from her help. Silence.

Hermione frowned and listened intently, wondering if she'd imagined it. After a few seconds, there was the sound of a door opening or closing, and then nothing.

Pushing herself off the bed, Hermione padded to the bedroom door, wondering if something had happened to upset the death eater. She pushed on the wood of the door and crossed the hall way, looking over the bannister down into the hallway below. For a moment she couldn't see anything, but then, the source of the noise entered her view.

The woman Hermione saw was not Bellatrix.

Hermione reeled away from the bannister in shock, scuffling against the carpet as she did. She cursed herself as she realised how loud her movements must have been and grappled with her sleeve for her wand.

She realised all too soon and with a sick feeling that it wasn't there.

 _Shit! I left it on the kitchen table!_ How could she have been so careless?

From downstairs, Hermione could hear Minerva coming back out of the kitchen where her wand still lay on the table from earlier and the brunette scrambled away from the stairs. Not fast enough. With a deafening crash a spell flew through the wooden railings and exploded against the wall beside her.

With a yelp, Hermione scrambled away and down the hall way in panic. There was an airing cupboard at the end of the hall and with the sound of Minerva slowly coming up the stairs behind her, Hermione dived towards it and slipped inside, praying Bellatrix came back before she was found. She couldn't win this fight without her wand, and she was sure that if Minerva had seen it, she would have taken it.

Minerva advanced down the hallway slowly and Hermione held her breath as she peeked through the slats of the door. She stayed as still as possible, barely breathing.

Minerva came to a stop outside the cupboard doors and Hermione shrank as far back into the shadows as she could.

After a few seconds, just when Hermione was sure her old professor (or at least her image) knew she was there, the woman turned, and went into Bellatrix's room. Hermione let out a trembling breath and took her chance.

She burst from the cupboard and bolted down the stairs, flying into the kitchen in the hopes of finding her wand. The table was bare save for the vase at its centre and Hermione cursed. Upstairs she could hear Minerva back out on the landing and with one last look behind her, Hermione rushed to the back door and ripped it open, slamming it behind her and tearing across the garden, jumping the stone wall that separated it from the graveyard.

She looked around desperately in the fog for somewhere to hide, immediately spotting the crypt entrance she had pointed out earlier. It was unlocked, and with a lot of effort Hermione pushed the wailing stone door in and disappeared into the dark. She saw a few lines of stone coffins embedded into the walls before the murk was too much, and she had to resort to feeling her way along the corridors in the tiny amount of light that still filtered in.

She turned a corner and after a minute more of cautiously edging forwards, the Gryffindor pressed her back to the wall and exhaled, her heart still pounding. She was sure that Minerva wouldn't find her down here.

 _Come on Bella, come back already. Just come back._

After five minutes, Hermione was considering peeking out to see if the other woman was gone, when a voice chilled her blood.

"Does someone live amongst the dead?"

Hermione clamped both of her hands over her mouth to stop herself from screaming, her eyes wide as she backed slowly into a corner. There was the awful screech of stone on stone as the entrance door was forced closed, and Hermione was plunged into an all consuming darkness as the last shafts of moonlight were blotted out.

Straining her ears against the darkness to glean any give away sound, her eyes as wide as they could go and her chest heaving, the brunette slowly and silently slid down the wall until she was wedged in behind a stone casket.

There was no sound other than her own blood thundering through her veins as Hermione waited. The freezing flagstones around her were gritty with mould and moss and the Gryffindor slowly extended a trembling hand out along the ground in search of anything that she could use to defend herself with.

She froze as sound crawled along the walls to her ears. Then another. Another. Footsteps.

In panic, Hermione used her other hand to aid the search, patting the ground blindly. There was another moment of quiet before the steps turned a corner and became louder as her attacker advanced.

Her knuckle brushed against something to her left and Hermione held her breath as she recognised the shape of an urn covered in cobwebs. She closed her fingers around the neck and pulled it from its spot, the thick cobwebs tearing loudly enough for the footsteps to stop.

Clutching her weapon tightly, Hermione barely dared to breathe. A few more footsteps and Minerva was so close Hermione could hear her breathing in from within the blackness. The trim of a dress brushed her knee and Hermione bit her lip. _One more step._

Steeling herself, she rose up to stand at her full height, praying Minerva was where she thought she was. She silently lifted her shaking arms above her head and screwed her eyes closed- not that it made any difference.

 _Smash_.

Hermione had hit _something_ , and it fell to the floor without a sound. Panic threatened to overwhelm her again as Hermione realised she had no way of knowing if Minerva was down or not. She hadn't made a sound if Hermione had hit her.

Not being able to fight it another second, her flight instinct kicked in and she stumbled through the darkness, feeling her way along the walls, unable run whilst blind. She found the corner and turned back the way she remembered running in from, and continued on along the walls, fighting the desire to turn and look behind her every few seconds. After a minute, the wall gave way, and Hermione let out a loud exhalation of relief as she found the stairs that led up to the surface. Tripping and pushing herself up them, she grappled the heavy door and heaved against it with all her might trying to wedge it back open, her feet scuffling at the floor to gain traction.

"Ten points from Gryffindor."

Hermione froze in terror as the voice accompanied by a dragging sound rang out from the bottom of the stairs. With a burst of adrenaline, she threw her shoulder against the stone and and let out a shriek when the footsteps resumed far faster than before, each one echoing down the hallways until it sounded like there were a hundred people clawing their way through the darkness towards her.

A cool, bony, hand firmly grabbed her ankle and Hermione screamed so loudly she saw stars, kicking and thrashing wildly until she felt the hand disappear. with one last heave, the door came off its hinges completely, throwing Hermione forward out into the foggy night air. She pushed herself up in an instant and whirled around, her eyes drinking in the gift of sight like oxygen, peering down into the darkness of the crypt.

Nothing stirred, and Hermione wiped her face with her sleeve as she gulped down air.

The were a few seconds of silence before a rustling sound from behind her caught her attention. In an instant she felt arms close around her middle and she screamed again, struggling with everything she had.

"Hermione! Hermione, stop it!"

Hermione ceased suddenly as she realised who it was and she sank back against the figure struggling to breathe.

"What the fuck is going on? I could hear you screaming from inside the house- and what the fuck happened to the landing?" Bellatrix kept a tight hold on her and the brunette was grateful for the support even to stand up right. She pointed to the door, panting hard.

"She's in there. She was in there with me, she..."

Bellatrix cursed.

"Is she dead?"

"I don't know." Hermione started to sob as the shock caught up to her and Bellatrix set her down on the grass against a headstone.

"Just stay here, I'll only be a minute."

"You're going down there?" Hermione looked sick.

"I'm not afraid of the dark." Bellatrix reassured, pulling her wand from her sleeve. She descended into the darkness and Hermione buried her head in her knees, trembling. There was a loud crack and the silence. When Bellatrix came back, there was blood on her hands.

"God, you really did a number on her. Face was smashed to hell. What happened?"

It wasn't a real question. She got down next to Hermione and pulled her close.

"I distinctly remember telling you to try _not_ to get yourself killed. Why on earth did you go down there?"

"She's got my wand, she took it," Hermione was inconsolable. "She found it and she took it before I could get it."

Bellatrix rubbed her back comfortingly. "Do you want me to go and get it?"

Hermione nodded, wiping tears away on her sleeve.

Bellatrix got up again and descended once more into the crypt and Hermione let her head fall back against the stone and took a few deep breaths, focusing on the sound of the wind and the sea in the distance. The night air was cool against her tear stained cheeks.

Bellatrix brought her wand back covered in ash. "Looks like it was another conjuration. There's just a pile of dust down there. Wand survived though." She shook it off and handed it back to Hermione, who took it gratefully. She swore she was never going to put it down again.

"Thank you."

Bellatrix helped her to her feet. "Well, look at it this way. I have food, and there's only one Minerva left to go before it's just us and the real thing."

Hermione groaned at the idea of having to go through anything like that again.

"Except this time, hopefully _you'll_ be armed and _I'll_ be there with you. Come on, let's go back inside- this fog is worse than drizzle."

Hermione nodded and looked back down to where they had been sitting, ashamed that she had been such a coward. She stopped.

Bellatrix looked from the younger witch to the headstone she was staring at in confusion. "Hermione? What- Oh. _Oh._ "

 _In beloved memory of_

 _Louix Pendlebury Shrub IX,_

 _a proud wizard_

 _and a good man_

 _sorely missed._


	10. Something Wicked

**A/N: I'm still alive, fear not. That is all.**

That Shrub was a man who had died over twenty years ago was very quickly overshadowed by the news paper Bellatrix had received from Narcissa. Dumbledore having been killed _within_ Hogwarts two days ago came as a shock to only one of the women at the kitchen table. Hermione, already feeling thinly spread, cried for over half an hour before she had even read past the headline, and Bellatrix spent a long while pinching the bridge of her nose in turmoil.

"Draco was supposed to do it. But I doubt he did. Cissy would have been here by now if he had."

Hermione had her arms folded on the table and her face hidden amongst them. When she looked up, her eyes were red.

"Then who did?"

"Severus vowed to Cissy that he would do it if Draco could not."

"How do you know?"

"I performed the vow."

Hermione sighed. The worst part of this was not that Dumbledore was dead, but that she just couldn't find it in herself to grieve. He had had a hand in what she was going through, she knew. The reason she really cried so much was that now he was gone, it would make it that much closer to game over for Harry and Ron. They would have to run, and fight, and survive long enough to try and win this war and she wasn't able to go with them. She had never felt so helpless.

She had been up all night hearing those footsteps in every natural creak and groan, and the blast mark on the wall in the hallway didn't help either. Unable to bear it any longer, she'd gotten up at dawn and sat alone in the shadows of the kitchen with her wand tightly in her hand, staring at the front door. It had stayed firmly shut, and when Bellatrix finally made her way down Hermione had given her such a shock as she'd turned around, the Gryffindor had nearly gotten hexed.

More than anything now, Hermione just wanted something to happen, _anything_ , that could give her an excuse to make Bellatrix decide to leave this house behind.

No more than an hour later, her prayers were answered; and they were answered- as they frequently were- with a big 'fuck you' from the universe.

 _"Hermione,_

 _The time finally came. It feels wrong going without you, and Ron's sure we're doomed to get ourselves killed without your help, but we finally left. Hogwarts is no longer safe without Dumbledore. I gave this letter to Hagrid to send for me so I'm sorry if it reached you late, but he has to be careful. I know you'll scold me for writing this down, but we're going after Horcrux's - if you don't know what those are, Bellatrix undoubtedly will. I'll let her explain. Until we can find them and destroy them, this war wont end._

 _Before we left, Shrub had an explosive out duel in the hallway with Minerva- he seemed to be winning but we didn't stick around- and then she just… disappeared. Minerva is no longer a teacher at Hogwarts- Snape's handing out week long detentions to anyone who asks about it- and Shrub just mutters about 'bad blood gone cold' if you bring it up with him. Ron reckons he saw him watching us from a window yesterday but I think he's just paranoid._

 _I hope you're okay. Merlin knows I'm still angry at the way they screwed you over, and I'll admit I'm still battling myself about Bellatrix. Hagrid said I should leave it be, that you had enough to deal with as it was and so did we. I know he's right._

 _Keep safe. And if you do happen to know where any Horcrux's are, Seamus and Dean said they'll slip you all their Galleons if you tell them. I should warn you, though- that's less than two between them both._

 _All our love, Harry and Ron."_

"It's not like we can tell them to meet us in the Three Broomsticks, 'mione, in fact, I'm not sure there could even be an 'us' in that situation, I doubt they'd keep their cool if I showed up."

"Bella…" Hermione sighed. "We need to see them. _I_ need to see them. Not just to warn them about Shrub, but explain to them what's going on with Minerva. They don't deserve not to know. They're my _friends_."

"They're _on the run_."

"Exactly. What if they go to Minerva for help and she tries a hostage technique?"

Bellatrix looked like she was being forced to choose between a short plank or a long fall. "Hermione, I know you want out of this house, and I'm working on it, but how would we even go about setting this up? They can't apparate without being traced, and we have no idea where they are."

"So, we'll send them a letter. Asking them to go somewhere obscure and to stay there for as long as it's safe. They can send the bird back with where exactly that is, and then we'll go to them."

Bellatrix was about to argue further when a knock at the door made Hermione bang her knees on the underside of the table standing up in alarm.

"I was wondering if the Dark Lord had been here."

Narcissa didn't even bother with the pleasantries she was so fond of drilling them on, the first real sign of the effect this whole situation was having on her.

Bellatrix just sighed in relief at the sight of her sister.

"Well, no Cissa, he hasn't, but then he doesn't usually stop by for breakfast so that's not unusual."

Narcissa moved into the house ad Hermione saw first hand how exhausted she looked.

"I'm _aware_ of that, Bella, it's just… He's gone for the elder wand. I thought he would have taken you with him."

"Why?"

"Sentiment." Narcissa said sarcastically. "I only thought to let you know because Draco tells me Minerva has also disappeared. Uncanny timing, don't you think?"

Bellatrix almost laughed. "No one knows where that wand is now, if she's daft enough to go for it and arrives at the same time the Dark Lord does, he'll only save us a lot of trouble."

Narcissa looked troubled. "I know. I know, you're right."

"Whilst you're here…" Bellatrix glanced up at the ceiling and cursed. "I can't believe I'm doing this… Could we borrow an owl? Specifically the little bastard that explodes into flames if intercepted."

Hermione immediately looked alarmed, and then elated.

"Wait, you'll really do it?"

A long-suffering sigh. "Apparently so."

Narcissa just looked between the two of them and then nodded hurriedly. "Of course. I'll send him when I get back. And before I go- I know you'll groan at me, but I had Lucius transfer some of your money from Gringotts to a wizarding bank in southern Spain. Thought it might come in useful."

"You know I loathe Lucius impersonating me. But thank you anyway, I suppose."

Hermione got up to hug the youngest Black sister goodbye, and then watched miserably as she left so soon after arriving. She was starting to like Narcissa Malfoy, she brought a touch of grounding reality with her wherever she went.

When Bellatrix turned around, Hermione's half smile didn't go unnoticed.

"I am going soft." She muttered. "I cannot believe I am agreeing to this. The Dark Lord would kill me if he ever knew, _they'll_ probably try their damnedest when we get there." She looked ruefully at Hermione through her eye lashes.

"The Dark Lord seems pre-occupied and whilst Ronald has his moments, and Harry does try his best to make me wonder sometimes, neither of them are actually that stupid."

Bellatrix relented and Hermione looked about the kitchen.

"So, what are we going to do until then? I vote burn this place to the ground."

"Hm. Maybe on the way out. I think it's expected of me to explain Horcrux's to you before that."

Hermione, in fact, already loosely knew what a Horcrux was. She wasn't uninterested, however, and lit the fire in the living room before curling up on the end of the sofa closest to it and waiting intently.

To her surprise, Bellatrix sat next to her rather than across from her, and stayed there through her entire explanation.

"I didn't know you could make so many." Hermione said, quite shocked.

"Not many could. But to kill the Dark Lord, you must first destroy his Horcrux's. And that in itself is no easy task."

Hermione stared thoughtfully into the middle distance, the fire lighting her eyes up an even warmer brown than usual.

"And no one knows what they are?"

"Well…" Bellatrix looked uncomfortable.

Hermione knew, as much as she wanted to know, she was putting Bellatrix in a hell of a position.

Bellatrix caved anyway. "One of them was his diary. You already got that one. Next was the ring that Dumbledore destroyed. There's only four left now. I only know two of them. Nagini, and Helga Hufflepuff's cup. That's all I know."

"Can I ask a question that might sound a little abrupt?"

Bellatrix turned to look at the expectantly.

"What are you doing?" Hermione searched the older woman's face for something that might give her a hint.

"I'll let you know." Bellatrix said dryly after a few second's contemplation.

Hermione let it drop. The warmth was soporific, and she didn't want to push Bellatrix.

"I suppose until I work it out, I'm playing both sides. I don't want you to get hurt by my own side, and I don't much fancy my chances defecting. I really have no plan."

"Not very good at this, are you?"

Bellatrix was half offended until she caught sight of the grin on the other woman's face.

"If you're not careful, I'll confiscate your wand until you can be nice." The older witch warned, smiling too.

Hermione snorted. "Not if I get yours first."

"Try it, little witch."

Hermione lunged at the wand at other witch's waist, yelping as she was grappled away and thrown back onto her side of the sofa. She tried again, and this time almost managed to get a hold of it before Bellatrix bent her arm behind her back and forced her to lie on her side.

"Say mercy." Bellatrix teased with a smirk. She hadn't been this childish since she had pulled a similar stunt on Andromeda to steal her food in her fifth year.

Hermione struggled in vain and Bellatrix laughed.

"Argh, fine, mercy." Came a muffled response.

Bellatrix let go and burst into laughter as Hermione's head bobbed back up, her hair a complete mess.

"You can grow to dislike a person, you know." She mumbled, patting her hair down.

Bellatrix shrugged and pointed at something over her shoulder. The second her back was turned, her wand was gone from her side and Hermione's cheeks caught flame that she'd fallen for something so juvenile.

"Hey- give that back!"

Bellatrix held it out to her and then snatched it away when she made a grab for it.

"Give me that-" She tried to reach for it again and Bellatrix transferred it to her other hand and held it at arms length, until it dangled over the opposite end of the sofa.

"Oh my god, will you just- give it back!" Hermione couldn't help but laugh as she tried to clamber around the witch to reach it. Bellatrix leaned back more and more into the corner of the sofa to stop her from getting past, and the wand got gradually further away.

Hermione drew back as her route was cut off and reached along the woman's arm from in front of her instead.

"You are- Just- Goddamnit-" Bellatrix just looked smugly down at the carpet as Hermione slowly became more and more precariously balanced over her knees as she edged forward.

"You know, just one small movement and you'd be on the floor." Bellatrix said casually.

"You wouldn't." Hermione muttered as she grappled with the woman's elbow. By now, her torso was stretched as far as she could make it go diagonally across the other woman, and she was still not quite tall enough to reach.

With one last effort she made a grab for it, and caught the end. "Ha!"

She tried to pull it from he other woman's grip and found her supporting hand starting to slip.

"Bella if you snap my wand…" She trailed off threateningly.

The Death Eater smirked again and let go suddenly, watching as Hermione suddenly collapsed with the force in an awkward heap on her lap.

"Thank you." Hermione said sarcastically. She wasn't really annoyed though, and she smiled even as she narrowed her eyes at the witch.

"You're welcome."

Bellatrix's eyes watched her intently as she tried to find somewhere that wasn't Bellatrix's lap to put her hands down and push herself up.

Hermione finally got a grip on the back of the sofa and then paused. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Bellatrix just smiled and glanced down at herself as if she were unsure.

"What?" The word rippled with laughter.

"Nothing."

Hermione stared at her intently. "Tell me."

Bellatrix avoided looking at her directly. "Just… Nice to see you laugh, is all. Sue me."

"Oh." Hermione dropped her own gaze. She supposed it had been a while.

When she looked back up Bellatrix was still gazing at her and Hermione felt butterflies start to shuffle around in the pit of her stomach as their eyes met. Bellatrix's face was close enough that Hermione could see the reflection of the fire in her pupils and the soft flecks of gold around her iris. Unconsciously she glanced down the Death Eater's lips, which quirked very slightly up at one corner. Her heart almost stopped when Bellatrix leaned towards her and for a second, it did stop when their lips brushed. The fire snapped quietly in the background and Hermione closed her eyes, not sure if this was real or she was fast asleep on the sofa having inappropriate dreams.

She felt a warm hand close around one side of her jaw and decided that if it was a dream, she was quite happy to stay asleep.

She let herself be led and leaned in further, taking every second to remember how soft Bellatrix's lips felt against her own, and how inexplicably gentle Bellatrix was. They pulled away for a few moments and Bellatrix's eyes were back on her face, searchingly.

Hermione didn't know where the situation might have gone, as right at that second there was a loud thud against the kitchen window.

Hermione looked slightly on edge but Bellatrix just sighed. "I really hate that bird." She murmured.

She stayed for a few seconds more before tugging Hermione to one side and then pulling her up to follow her to the kitchen. Hermione followed quietly, still wondering if that had really happened.

In the kitchen, Bellatrix unlatched the window and let in the owl that Hermione recognised as the one she'd used to send letters to Hagrid.

"You'd better write that letter." Bellatrix suggested, passing her the quill, the minute ink pot and the roll of parchment from the pouch hanging from the owl's leg.

"Oh. Right. Yeah." Hermione blushed, as she looked up at the woman and quickly sat down to scribble her letter.

Once she was done, she rolled the parchment back up, handed it back to Bellatrix who dutifully shrank it down and tied it back to the owl, and both women watched it disappear back out of the window.

Hermione, who's lips were still vaguely tingling along with the fuzz in her mind was unsure of what to say next.

Bellatrix looked at her from the corner of her eye. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Hermione said honestly.

"Do you want a drink?"

"Yeah." She repeated. Unless it's going to give me blood poisoning. I know what you're like."

Bellatrix smiled. "I'll see what else there is."

-X-

When the owl came back it looked as though it would rather take a swift death than face another journey.

"Merlin's balls, where have _you_ been?" Bellatrix asked it, pulling the letter from its leg and soothing down its ruffled feathers. It was covered in dried salt, and it fell from the bird in fine shafts onto the table. It tottered away, too tired to beg for a treat, and used every last scrap of energy it had left to flutter up on to the curtain pole and hunker down to sleep.

Bellatrix handed the letter to Hermione, who looked apprehensively at it before taking it. It was nearly 5pm and she had been beginning to think it would be tomorrow before they heard back.

The response was written on the back of the same piece of parchment they had sent, and by the speed it was read, it was short.

"They said they're in the forest of dean, and to 'look for the trees'."

Bellatrix stared. "They want us to _look for the trees_ in the _forest_ of dean?"

Hermione shrugged. "It's what it says. The forest of dean is a big place but it's long and narrow. Maybe if we start at the top and go from there- there must be something about the trees that will help. They wouldn't have said it otherwise."

"And they know I'm coming?"

"Yeah, they know."

Bellatrix hummed and watched the other witch thoughtfully. "Tell me again why I agreed to this?"

Hermione opened her mouth to reply but then closed it again. She peeked up at Bellatrix through her eye lashes, hopefully, praying the woman wasn't angry with her.

Bellatrix chuckled at the display. "Mmm, that about sums it up. Come on then, if there's no stated time then we may as well get this over with."

Hermione rose from her chair and grasped the Death Eater's arm tightly, praying that the boys would be able to handle this like adults.

-X-

The forest was quiet and hazy in the evening air. Bellatrix looked oddly at home amongst so many shades of green and Hermione was set on examining each and every tree they passed looking for signs of her friends.

"Wy don't we just start shouting their names? I know Rome wasn't built in a day, but it was faster than _this_."

Hermione's eyes flickered up to her from the mossy tree she was inspecting and smirked. "You're not a very patient woman, are you?"

"What gave it away?" But the Death Eater was smiling too.

It was just past Six before Hermione finally cried out in triumph. "Bella, look!"

Bellatrix prowled around the trunk of the tree to see what the brunette was pointing at. Carved crudely into the bark, was a jagged arrow. Bellatrix hiked her brow and looked over her shoulder in the direction it pointed.

"Come on, let's go and see if there's more."

"Yeah," Bellatrix sighed to herself as Hermione hopped down from the roots and clambered around the foliage towards the arrow's direction. "This should play out _just_ fine."

She shook her head and compared herself to a lemming as she followed the Gryffindor.

Hermione did find more, as it was, and they quickly found themselves following a trail which ended half an hour later in a clearing with a final arrow pointing straight down to the ground.

"I guess this is it." Hermione said, peering around. The sun was still yet to sink below the horizon, and the air was pleasantly warm compared to the sea chill in Ireland. The clearing looked like it might have been used for muggle camping, and the ground was a sandy brown and worn almost smooth with years of hiking boots. There were a few rebellious grassy spots near the edge with the marked tree, and Hermione sat down on one to wait.

After a few suspicious looks around, Bellatrix chose to lean against the tree, not wanting to be too off guard.

They waited. "You realise now that I'm out of that house you're not going to get me back in it?" Hermione said, after a while.

Bellatrix pulled a resigned face. "Why can I believe that?" She asked rhetorically.

"I mean it, I'll live in the forest before I go back to that place."

"You're going to live in the forest? What are you going to eat?" Bellatrix challenged good-naturedly.

"Berries…" Hermione muttered, realising immediately how stupid that sounded.

Bellatrix laughed loudly and poked the girl in the ribs with her foot. "Let me know how that goes."

A sound caught Hermione's attention and she looked up, expecting wildlife.

An there they stood; Ron slightly behind Harry, staring cautiously from Her to Bellatrix and back again.

"Ron! Harry!" Hermione launched herself up from the ground and ran at the both, almost clotheslining them on impact when she wrapped an arm around each of the boy's necks.

"Oh my god it feels like forever!"

Harry was grinning and even Ron looked a lot lighter than she thought he would be- she had braced herself for moodiness.

Bellatrix's lips twitched into an almost-smile.

 _Those fools sure do love each other._

"It's so good to see you, Hermione, it's been so _weird_ without you." Harry patted her on the back.

"Yeah, and mum's all but adopted you, just as a warning- I think you might be the first non-Weasely to get a spoon on the family clock. 'Part from Harry, of course."

Hermione was welling up, it was so good to hear their voices again.

"It would be my honour to be made into a spoon." She assured him. "Come on, we have way too much to tell you."

The mention of we made Ron shuffle and Harry look over Hermione's shoulder to where Bellatrix stood watching them impassively. He swallowed at the sight. She was an overwhelmingly intimidating woman, even surrounded by ferns and moss. One he still hadn't forgiven.

"Don't worry about Bella, she wouldn't be here if she didn't want to be."

The familiar way she addressed the Death Eater didn't escape the boys either.

Hermione set off back across the clearing and with a look to one another, the boys followed uncertainly.

"Almost wish we had butter beers, it's picnicking weather." Harry said lightly, looking up at the sky.

"She prefers orange juice." Bellatrix mumbled in the background.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Don't listen to her, she drinks ethanol. Anyway." Hermione moved on, seeing the difficulty Harry was already having trying to figure out this relationship.

"Shrub." She said, sitting back down, the two boys following suit. "We, uh. Well. We found his grave."

Ron frowned. "What do you mean, his grave?"

"It's a burial mound marked by a piece of stone to-"

Hermione swatted at Bellatrix, who had also given in and was now sitting, leaning back against the tree, without looking at her. "I mean just that; we found the grave of Louix Pendlebury Shrub IX in a graveyard in northern Ireland. Which means the world has managed to produce two people with a name like that, or..."

"Shrub isn't... Shrub." Harry finished. "Then who is he? So far he's actually been alright- if a bit odd."

"Get on." Ron said, immediately. "The bloke's weird. Always creeping around, watching us. And Professor McGonagall hates his guts."

The name made Hermione feel nauseous. "That's actually the other thing we have to tell you about. I know I gave some details in my letters, and I know Hagrid told you everything he told me, but it's sort of… escalated."

Harry looked doubtful. "You mean your situation has managed to go _downhill_?"

"Yeah. Just when you think you've hit rock bottom, you… well, find another layer of bloody rock." Hermione sighed.

"I killed her. At least I thought I did, I didn't mean to, but… Anyway, next thing we knew we got your letter saying she was back and walking around Hogwarts. We asked Severus about it and he also said that the night I supposedly killed her, she was in a governors meeting all night with him.

"What was Snape doing at a governors meeting?" Ron asked, suspiciously.

"Oh. Uh, he was standing in for Lu- Mr Malfoy. He was attacked… By Peacocks."

Bellatrix began to snigger into the back of her hand beside her and Hermione nudged her.

"It's not funny, Bella, Cissy nearly made us sleep in the garden."

"It's a good job I enjoy tormenting the man so much or we wouldn't have known Minerva was in that meeting." Bellatrix pointed out.

Harry was watching her intently. She was a far cry from what he had expected, and as much as he wanted to deny it, he could see how Hermione would get along with her.

"We looked into it and we came across a old transfiguration spell that allows you to create up to three carbon copies of a person- they're impossible to tell apart from the real thing, except they don't tend to be able to cope with free thought. They take a handful of views from the caster, and it's all they're really able to talk about, anything else, and they're not able to process real time responses outside of their pool of knowledge."

"That's messed up." Ron surmised. He was far quieter than he usually would have been having a discussion like this, and Hermione was fairly sure the sight of Bellatrix so close had subdued him whilst he re-assessed his situation. He got like this when he played a good game of chess.

"Anyway, long story short, I killed another one in Ireland and now we think there's one left, and then real thing."

"So… They're coming after you? Whilst she stays in Hogwarts where- where everyone can see her…" Realisation was dawning on Harry. "But how are they finding you?"

"That's a good question." Bellatrix said. "She found us far too quickly last time. Theres no way she could have known where we were. It's uncanny, I don't like it."

Hermione had to agree. The last thing she needed was to find out the old woman had a seer on her side.

"So Hogwarts really _isn't_ safe. I mean, more than we thought." Ron said, drawing from all the courage he had and looking at Bellatrix for the first time as he spoke.

"No. Especially with Dumbledore gone. Find the remaining horcrux's and destroy them."

Harry's melancholy at hearing Dumbledore's name subsided quickly and his eyes flashed towards Bellatrix in alarm. The older witch was still leaning back against a tree with her eyes closed, but seemed to know there were eyes on her in the silence and held her hands up anyway.

"Don't worry about me, my life is already way out of control."

"Your life is out of control?" Hermione asked with a raised brow.

Bellatrix just smiled. "Taking myself out of the equation, what do you think will happen if the Dark Lord wins?"

"I'll be dead." Harry chipped in bluntly.

"Exactly. And if your side wins, Harry?"

" _I'll_ be dead." Hermione answered miserably.

Bellatrix took a long breath and then opened her eyes, focusing them on Harry.

"So what's a witch to do? If I save Hermione and let you die, it would break her and she wouldn't forgive me, yet if I save you and in turn her poor heart, I'm condemning her to die- in which case I might not forgive myself, let alone the rest of you."

The dark witch leaned her head back against the tree and sighed, closing her eyes in the sun again.

"So if you have any thoughts on another way out, go ahead. I'm now taking suggestions."

Hermione watched her with soft eyes. Whilst she understood the strain this must be putting on Bellatrix personally, it was strange to hear it aloud. She always seemed so calm about everything.

Harry was looking thoughtful. "You could... go on the run? Find somewhere else to live?"

"Mmmm, and live out the rest of our lives constantly moving and looking over our shoulders in the knowledge that in the end we both betrayed all of our friends and family- none of whom we'll ever see again- to save ourselves."

Her tone wasn't lost on Harry and he went back to staring at the grass. Deep down he knew Bellatrix was likely far more intelligent than he was and if she hadn't thought of anything in weeks, he wasn't going to think of anything in minutes.

"So... that's it? You can win the battle against Minerva but there's no way out of the war?" He said, not for a second wanting to believe it had to be a case of him or Hermione.

"Of course there's a way out. I just can't quite believe I'm considering doing it."

Before Hermione could ask, something carried on the breeze made Bellatrix's eye's darken.

Whistling, dissonant, and high, and steady to the unmistakable tune of Double Trouble.

 _Something wicked this way comes._

The two women were on their feet in an instant, back to back, glaring out into the forest with their wands raised.

"Harry, Ron, get down, if you use magic we'll be even deeper in it." Hermione commanded.

The two boys, upon the sight of Bellatrix rearing to her full strength, were way ahead of her, scrambling to get behind a tree each.

The whistling stopped. The birds stopped, the wind stopped, and Hermione didn't dare breathe. For a second, she was blissfully aware of the peace and quiet before,

 _BANG!_

A streak of red exploded from a shield Bellatrix erected just in time, the sparks of magic temporarily setting fire to the grass where they landed. Hermione's heart was in her mouth, but Minerva had revealed her location, and Bellatrix wasn't in the mood for dueller's niceties. She fired six spells in mesmerisingly quick succession, out into the trees where the attack had come from in a cone. One of them rebounded back, and swiping it aside like a butterfly, Bellatrix once again honed in on where it had come from.

Hermione, desperate to help in some way rather than just wait to be rescued again, began searching for some way to drive Minerva out.

She saw it.

A tree, wide and tall but rotted through and through which stood near to where Bellatrix was still assaulting. Hermione took aim.

"Bombarda Maxima!" She cried, her mind pulling a face as she remembered Umbridge shouting the same thing. The spell hit the tree dead on and it groaned and swayed. It took another moment, and then it began to fall almost in slow motion, dragging its punier brethren down with it in a clamour of snapping and crashing. Minerva was smoked out almost immediately, not wanting to be crushed or buried, she practically fell out into the clearing with a wild look on her face.

Harry and Ron watched helplessly.

The woman's left arm was bleeding heavily where Bellatrix's slicing hex had struck true, and she had a slight limp, probably from tripping on the undergrowth.

"Give it up, Minerva, you can't fight both of us." Bellatrix growled, her magic simmering below her skin.

But the woman was empty. Like some kind of clockwork figure, she raised he wand arm and began to fire off spells.

Bellatrix raised her shield and let them grind themselves into dust against it, waiting. When she heard the incantation to a powerful enough spell, Bellatrix expanded her wards viciously as they collided, sending the spell hurtling back at its caster. Minerva was already half way through the next hex, and she stumbled over her words as she tried to raise a shield instead- not fast enough.

The spells effects were not immediately obvious- the old woman stopped dead, and it seemed as though her ribs had caved in, like she had been punched with a huge, stone fist. She fell to the floor and Bellatrix cast her last green flash without the words.

Hermione knew what it had been when the woman immediately slumped motionless.

There was a long silence, and the boys Gingerly emerged from their hiding places.

"That's it- that's the last fake." Hermione said, mostly to herself.

"Bloody hell." Was all Ron could say.

Harry was staring at the dead woman. Every time he saw Bellatrix, he ended up watching her kill someone he loved.

"It's not really her." Hermione reassured, knowing what he was thinking. "It'll turn to ash in a minute."

Harry nodded. "I know. Just… Hard to see. Worse to know she sent it."

"Harry."

Everyone turned to look at Bellatrix, who hadn't even broken a sweat.

"Come." It was a demand that most people would never have followed from the Death Eater- or any Death Eater- but as she walked away into the forest, Harry, with an inexplicable look to Hermione and Ron, couldn't help but to follow her.


	11. The Thing About Family

Being left alone with Ron was amongst the very last things Hermione had hoped for. It wasn't that she didn't want to see him, but with Bellatrix still faintly on her lips she wasn't sure she'd be able to look him in the eye if he started to gravitate conversation towards his own attraction to her.

The Gryffindor sighed and put her head on the red head's shoulder casually. After a while Ron started plucking blades of grass in small handfuls, letting them fall messily back to the ground.

"Me and you. It's not really... Y'know, it can't... Can it?"

Hermione felt a stab of guilt and sat up to look at him.

"It's okay, I get it." He said immediately. "Not that you're not great, you are- just, you're like my sister and I think maybe... maybe I was just confusing, y'know... _liking_ you with looking up to you." His ears were pink as he quickly moved on in a rush. "Ginny made me realise in the end, she said I looked at you like I would look at the Chudley Canons. And they're the best, and I wish I was as good as them, but... well, I don't wanna date them, if you know what I mean. I guess I wanna be them. And that's different, isn't it? Wanting to be somebody rather than loving somebody as yourself."

Hermione was quietly stunned. She had no idea that Ron was capable of being deep, let alone with such a graceful understanding of something as complex as love. Perhaps the whole Lavender Brown thing had given her lowered expectations.

"You know what, Ron? I think you're entirely right."

He smiled appreciatively, seemingly far more humbled by garnering some praise from her than he had been for all of the homework, life-saving and lectures she'd ever put forth put together.

"But you and Bellatrix, though. There's something there. Gotta be."

Hermione froze and Ron shifted as if to pretend he hadn't noticed. "S'all right. I mean, unexpected but... It's not like it was before, is it? She's not exactly the enemy to us now and she's definitely not to you. She's the only reason either of us could sleep at night, really. Even Harry admitted it, that at least if Bellatrix was at your side you should be safe. Even if we did miss you. I know she's done some pretty dark stuff, but... I'm..."

He took a deep breath. "Well, it's just, mum had a word with me the other week about how I was going to have to grow up and y'know... 'be a man' if we all wanted to get through this in one piece and even though it stung a bit, I guess she's right. Can't be sulking all the time, wouldn't forgive myself if one of my moods got you or Harry hurt. Or anyone. So I thought I'd start by making life easier on you and not going into git-mode over Bellatrix. I mean, I might have had a few days worth, but after that, I thought it was just time to man up about it and accept that not everything is black and white and we don't know the whole story, and-"

He was cut off as Hermione threw herself around his neck, stifling tears. She never thought she'd see the day, and to hear Ron say such things was honestly the greatest relief she never knew she needed.

"Blimey." He said. "If I'd have known it was that easy to get in your good books I'd have started years ago."

Hermione laughed through the tears that were still straining to get out, and rapidly blinked them into her eyelashes.

"Look, I... I don't know. I don't know what's happening with Bellatrix. I won't lie after you were honest, I do..." She sighed, unsure what to say.

"Yeah I know what you mean, I don't need all the intimate details." Ron joked.

"I, what- there aren't any-"

Ron began to chuckle. "Oh come off it, you kissed Harry at the Tri-Wizard Tournament and you didn't even like him, you're not telling me the two of you haven't-"

"Oh my god, fine, yes we did, about three hours ago and I'm still not very sure how it happened, happy?" Hermione was blushing fiercely.

Ron was laughing too much to respond, eventually managing 'I knew it.'

"Knew what?"

"Nothing!" Hermione yelped as Bellatrix reappeared, Harry in tow. Ron tried to cough to get himself together.

Harry looked much the same as he had after receiving his pep talk before facing the Hungarian Horntail.

"Everything okay?" Hermione asked, getting to her feet.

Bellatrix smiled in reply and put an arm around her shoulders, earning a childish smirk from Ron.

"Well." Harry said finally, looking around as if he was only just seeing what was in front of him.

"We should probably go, right? War to win, and stuff…" Ron looked dejectedly at the pile of ash where Minerva's magic had finally worn away.

"Actually, um." Harry ran a hand tiredly through his messy hair. "Bellatrix has, uh, offered us a safe house. One that belongs to the Blacks, not, uh, You-Know-Who." He shuffled his feet as if he was unsure of how to respond to such a gesture.

"Oh." Ron said, mirroring Harry's stance.

Hermione slowly craned her neck to look at the woman beside her. She smiled broadly as the woman pre-emptively rolled her eyes.

"Don't say a word." She said as the girl beside her held her hands up in surrender.

-X-

Bellatrix was lying on the sofa when Hermione pushed the library door to and stepped into view.

The look on her face was strained and she was obviously trying to stop herself from wringing her hands, standing awkwardly in the doorway, her eyes going from Bellatrix to the floorboards, and back to Bellatrix.

The dark witch tilted her head and frowned gently.

"I'm no scarier up close." She commented, not moving from her lounging position but not taking her eyes from the girl either.

Hermione smiled wryly down at herself. "Is that so?" She said, more to herself than to the death eater. When Bellatrix didn't look away, Hermione sighed.

"Are you angry with me?" She asked after a moment, feeling like a naughty school child.

"No. Should I be?"

"Perhaps. Today could have gone really badly." She added, looking up at the woman across the room.

"And here I thought you were just developing a taste for disaster." Bellatrix smirked.

"That would at least explain the moth-like attraction to you." Hermione muttered, folding her arms with a half smile.

Bellatrix rolled her eyes and exhaled through her nose softly. "I'm sure there are at least _two_ other reasons for that before my propensity for mishaps."

Hermione blushed hard as Bellatrix casually glanced down at her own cleavage.

"Shut up." She mumbled. "What did you talk to Harry about?"

"I explained why I killed Sirius." Bellatrix wet her lips. "And before you ask, I don't think I could do it twice in a day."

Hermione smiled lightly. "Kill your cousin or explain something to Harry? Because I feel your pain with the last one."

Bellatrix laughed. "Either. And I thought you were supposed to be the brains behind them?"

"Shut _up_!" Hermione blushed as she scowled.

"That's no way to talk to your deepest fear and desire." Bellatrix teased, her eyes gleaming good-naturedley in the fire light.

"Why did I ever tell you about that?" Hermione sighed, coming to sit on the floor in front of the fire with her back against the bottom sofa.

Bellatrix leaned down and stoked her fingertips absent-mindedly across the top of Hermione's head, tugging at a few dislodged strands.

"Well, I told Cissa about it. Know what she thinks?"

"That you tell her way too much?"

The dark witch made a sound of agreement. "Apart from that."

"Go on."

"She seems to think it's representative, not literal. That your mind used me to represent what you wanted most because what you wanted most didn't have any concrete form of its own."

"Well..." Hermione leaned her head back into the sofa and suppressed a contented hum as Bellatrix continued to play with her hair. "I guess you are just about the most powerful witch alive. You were the brightest witch of your age, I'm supposedly the best of mine. It makes sense I'd want that to continue to be true for me like it still is for you. Doesn't explain the boggart though."

"Mm, what if the boggart kissed you as me because after the mirror, your greatest fear was realising I, representing the people you thought- let's face it- were relatively moral to kill- was human after so long of hating me. And then it showed sex because you accepted who I was and realised how alike we are, how much she wanted to know me on a morbid level."

Hermione's mind was yet to stumble its way past hearing the other woman say the word 'sex' so casually.

"I- that- I mean, I suppose that's as good an explanation as any." She stuttered, trying to sound like she wasn't at all phased.

Bellatrix smiled silently behind her.

"How did that conversation come about?"

"With my sister? Well I was curious to know what she thought and so I asked."

"Hm." Hermione lapsed into silence, not sure what else to say. Bellatrix- or Narcissa at least- had made some very salient points. She closed her eyes involuntarily and let the haze descend around her mind that always did when someone ran their fingers through her hair as the older witch had taken to doing.

Bellatrix watched the Gryffindor intently. Taking her back to Malfoy Manor had put the girl at ease for the first time really since they had left, and it had given Bellatrix a surplus of time to think about what had transpired between them now that she didn't have to think about finding food or keeping watch.

"Hermione."

The younger witch's eyes re-opened and she turned to look up over her shoulder questioningly. Bellatrix moved to one side and pulled her up to sit on the edge of the sofa, sitting up more than she had been. Without thinking, the Slytherin caught the other girl's jaw and softly lunged forwards, pressing their lips together as Hermione's fingertips brushed through the ends of the dark witch's hair in surprise.

A second passed and Hermione's confusion cleared. She leaned in further and Bellatrix felt the natural time for a purely affectionate kiss to end pass them by. A slight tremor went through her as Hermione shifted to be partially lying on her chest, Bellatrix's other arm coming up to circle around the girl's middle with the first.

Nervously, Hermione pulled away just enough to be able to look the dark witch in the eyes. Yet again, Hermione realised she wanted her, and she wasn't sure how to appropriately deal with it now she had made it obvious.

The older witch thought to say something but decided against it, cupping the younger witch's face tenderly and hoping that Hermione was intelligent enough to be able to read the situation for herself.

Hermione held the other witch's gaze for a few tense seconds and then shocked herself as she leaned in and kissed the death eater again, more firmly than before. She felt her heart flutter as two hands started to slowly make their way up the front of her blouse, undoing one button at a time as slowly as possible. By the time the two sides of her shirt fell away from one another, their kiss had deepened enough that Bellatrix's tongue had found its way into her mouth and the room was filled with the quiet sounds of their breathing.

"Bed." Bellatrix breathed against her throat, pulling her up and leading her through the house as Hermione's heart rate soared at the idea someone might see her like this as they made their way upstairs.

They reached Bellatrix's room without incident and the second the door was locked and warded behind them, Bellatrix's dress was gone with a devious look that made Hermione so weak she had to half fall, half sit on the bed whether she liked it or not. The other witch was overwhelmingly beautiful and on top of her in an instant, throwing Hermione's blouse and then her jeans across the room whilst trailing hot kisses down her flushed neck as the Gryffindor pressed herself back into the pillows.

After a few minutes, Bellatrix pulled back and ran her eyes over the other girl with a soft smile.

Who knew she would look so beautiful when she was riled up like this?

Slowly, she let her fingertips grace butterfly light over the Gryffindor's clit through her underwear and the girl groaned, clawing at the death eater's waist.

"Come on kitten," Bellatrix coaxed quietly, "Just one little word?"

Hermione closed her eyes tightly and tried to resist, never having been one to beg. The eldest Black sister was relentless and hit her clit again, with her knuckles this time, biting her lip subconsciously as the other woman's chest rose and fell harder as she tried to keep control over herself. With a mean grin, she went back to trailing her fingers over the girl's thigh.

Burning, Hermione gave in.

"Please." She whimpered.

"Sorry?" Bellatrix asked innocently, readying herself to move incase Hermione felt driven to attack her.

The girl very nearly did. She looked up into Bellatrix's eyes, her own dark and desperate, and set her jaw.

" _Please."_ She growled, still looking into the Slytherin's eyes, her voice strained.

Bellatrix obliged. She repositioned herself and rid the girl of the last of her underwear in a few seconds.

" _Fuck_." Hermione cursed loudly as Bellatrix's tongue ran softly over her slit. She laced her fingers into the woman's hair weakly and closed her eyes again as she repeated herself, harder this time, flicking at the brunette's clit with the tip of her tongue.

Slowly, Bellatrix started to move her tongue in a more consistent way, and Hermione's moans slipped out under her breath more quickly. She had never been so turned on in her life.

"Bella…" She whined as the death eater slipped a long finger deep into the smaller girl, humming against her clit. She took a couple of minutes to let Hermione get used to a harder pace before adding a second finger and curling them suddenly.

Hermione choked out a moan and clenched her trembling fingers in the Slytherin's hair, feeling release slowly start to build in a hot coil in her abdomen. Bellatrix nipped sharply at the brunette's clit with her teeth and then softly licked over the same spots she bit, listening to the other witch's breathing get more and more erratic with every spike of pain and subsequently soothing pleasure.

The darker woman curled her still-working fingers again and sucked softly on the girl's clit and Hermione let out a high keen as she felt herself start to hold her breath as her muscles tightened.

"Oh, fuck, _Bella_ -" She cut herself off as she crashed over the edge, moaning to god and pulling at the death eater's curls hard. The death eater found that she quite liked the sensation, and pressed her lips against her lover's thigh with her eyes closed as Hermione tried to recover.

When she re-opened her eyes, Hermione was staring down at her in a daze, still very much clouded with lust.

"We have forty minutes until dinner." Bellatrix offered with a long, teasing kiss just below the girl's naval.

-X-

The floo lit up with a brilliant light twice in quick succession as the boys stumbled into the dimly lit office.

The furniture was barely changed from then the room was uninhabited, save for a few extra books scattered around, the fresh flowers in the vases left by the house elves and the distinct smell of fire whiskey hanging in the air.

Coming to Hogwarts had been a risk but after the very obliging elf attached to the safe house Bellatrix had escorted them to had informed them that the floo was still connected to one at Hogwarts for certain privileged persons only, and that as guests of Miss Black that extended to them, the opportunity to get to shrub had been too good to pass up. They had sent a letter with the elf, called Dea, to Shrub, asking him to be in the room alone at exactly half past nine, and then waited through the hours between in relative ease.

Ron had been thoroughly converted to Hermione's side, much to Harry's quiet confusion after how the two women had interacted with each other. He had been convinced that seeing Hermione undeniably 'involved' with someone else would have driven the red head crazy, but he seemed oddly cheered up by it.

Harry himself was, at least, comforted by what he had found in Bellatrix and what she had told him, no matter how hard it had been to hear.

Watching the boys get their bearings, Shrub leaned heavily back against the broad mahogany desk that lined the wall.

"Am I to suppose you know the truth, my boys?"

Harry glanced quickly at Ron and found assurance in his equally confused look that he hadn't expected this kind of reaction from the man, either.

"We know that Shrub died a long time ago." Harry offered uncertainly, looking around for somewhere to settle.

The old man swirled his drink around in his crystalline tumbler, staring into it morosely.

"Yes. Getting on for twenty years now, terrible shame." He looked up at the two boys, still swirling the whiskey.

"Alright." He said eventually, sounding astonishingly similar to how Slughorn had when Harry had finally whittled him down. "Alright. I suppose this conversation was on the list anyway. Come."

He beckoned them to join him on the dark, overstuffed sofas by the fire.

"When I first arrived here at Hogwarts, it was with only the best intentions." He said, wincing as his knees protested at being bent into a sitting position.

"Then why the fake name?" Ron asked, his suspicion getting the better of him.

"Because to get this post, I had to give a name, and my name, my _real_ name, would have been a problem."

"Why? Are you one of them?" Harry scrutinised the man. He didn't look like a death eater, but then what did a death eater look like?

"No, no, nothing of that nature. My name is Elias Urquart and a very long time ago, my brother Elphinstone Urquart, was very much in love with your Professor McGonagall. They were happily married, for a short time. But Elph had a vindictive streak- never showed it to Minerva, but one evening he ran into a woman I believe you must know- or at least rather know of- rather well."

Harry had visibly relaxed now that he was placated the man wasn't a death eater and that he was telling him the truth at long last.

"Bellatrix Black. She was- and still is, as I hear it- the most remarkably beautiful dark witch, among other things. I couldn't tell you what possessed him, but he... 'prepositioned' her, despite Minerva, and in Minerva's ancestral gardens whilst a ball was being held in the manor at that. Long story short, Bellatrix hexed him in an instant and sent him scurrying away back to the party before he even had the words out."

Ron pulled a face as if he was trying to preempt what this had to do with anything. "Is this going somewhere?"

"Of course, my boy."

"Why was Bellatrix there?" Harry chimed in.

"Well, all three Black sisters were there- Minerva tried very hard to steer them towards _alternate_ world views whilst she still could, and once invited it would have been ill-mannered to decline by the way they were brought up." He shrugged.

"But I digress. Elph ran back to the party humiliated and in a horrible lapse in judgement decided to get revenge."

"What did he do?" Harry leaned forward in his seat once more.

"Nothing, thankfully. Bellatrix put an end to him before he was... successful."

Both Gryffindors stared expectantly and the man sighed woefully.

"He sought out Andromeda. They looked so very similar when they were young, they were mistaken for one another on a daily basis. Bellatrix was never going to look twice at a man three times her age and he couldn't fight her, even then. So he... _targeted_ her younger sister. Andromeda was a formidable witch in her own right, but she was a healer, not a harmer." He trailed off sadly.

Harry wasn't sure he understood. "What do you mean, 'targeted'?"

"The same way he targeted Bellatrix. But with brute force and a one-track mind."

Ron went a little green. "You mean he tried to-"

"Yes."

"What happened?" Harry was looking from Ron to Elias as if this were a recent scandal.

"Bellatrix happened. She didn't trust him and so she followed him- took a loaded ceremonial shotgun from the wall and blew his heart out of his body."

A stunned silence descended upon the room.

"So that's why McGonagall is going so mental over this? She's trying to take from Bellatrix what Bellatrix took from her all those years ago."

Understanding dawned on Harry.

"That's why she's so determined? Hermione's heritage is just an excuse, she just wants her dead to spite Bellatrix."

Elias looked somber. "Her heritage started the fire, but her involvement with Bellatrix is what turned it into this. I returned here to try to make amends with Minerva, she's only a step-sister, but she's all the family I have. She blames me just as much for Elph's death, because I wasn't there to 'protect' him." Elias laughed humourlessly as if even he knew the notion was a ridiculous one. "If she had seen my name on the application list, she would have burned it before I had the chance to speak with her, and so I used the name of an old friend who passed away long enough ago I didn't think anyone would remember him."

"That explains why she was so livid when she saw you." Ron surmised, still processing that Bellatrix had once taken a wizard out with a muggle weapon.

"Once I got close enough it became apparent that Minerva was far beyond reconciliation. I had planned to leave, but on my way out I got talking to the gamekeeper- who has a terrible problem with letting things slip, may I add- and realised something more was at play. And so here I am."

Ron frowned. "Here you are, doing what exactly?"

Elias drank the last of his whisky in one go. "Well now, it's funny you should ask."


End file.
